As part of an innovative and intentional step towards reform, the Oregon Judicial Department’s (OJD) Juvenile Delinquency Improvement Program (JDIP) brought together an incredible group of young people to form the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board (JJAB). This board consisted of justice-involved youth whose insights and experiences are invaluable and needed in making the juvenile justice […]
Optimism (n): hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. – Oxford English At some point I realized I’m a professional optimist. As with all of us working in the transformation field (let’s go with that broad title), a major part of my job is to see – and invite others […]
Recently, an article entitled “Why You’ve Never Been in a Plane Crash” (by Kyra Dempsey) grabbed my attention in my daily inbox scan. While I was first drawn in by my own personal curiosity (“and I never will be in a plane crash, right???”), I devoured the entire article because of how the article connected […]
What does it look like for leaders to embody the work of restorative justice, in an effort to affect change within systems? How do we ensure that “how” we show up to create change is aligned with ‘what’ we are trying to shift? Can we generate buy-in, inspire action, and transform organizational culture by modeling […]
How can restorative justice services be reliably safe and accountable to our own principles? While for some, creating “standards” in restorative justice seems like an effective path forward to ensuring good practice, concepts of “standards” and “standardization” are tricky! These terms bring up important issues of hierarchy, power, privilege, and worldview. Who sets the standards, […]
Three years ago, Just Outcomes traveled across Canada to listen to victims’ and survivors’ experiences with restorative justice. These included the voices of those suffering from property crime to the impact of homicide, from grieving family members to Indigenous youth. This project was funded through the Department of Justice, Canada—Centre for Policy on Victims Issues. […]
In October 2021, I was nervous, thrilled and honored to be invited to share on the “The Cultures United Podcast”. I was in dialogue with Jemma and Mista B—two individuals with diverse experiences who had a ton of great questions about restorative justice. Some of those questions included: How are your values and beliefs around […]
Across North America, there has been a recent and significant push to expand access to restorative justice processes for justice system-involved community members. In Oregon, the aim has been to provide true diversion (limited system involvement and community-based) for more serious and violent crimes. This expansion has also cultivated a push for stronger and more […]
This practical guide created for restorative justice leaders and practitioners has been one of the most wide-reaching projects Just Outcomes has had the opportunity to lead. Funded by the Government of Canada and commissioned by the Alberta Restorative Justice Association, this Guide provides research to back up the practical navigation skills for how to align […]
We are so happy to share an article that highlights Catherine Bargen and Aaron Lyons’ work in partnership with Peace of the Circle! Together the team has been exploring the benefits and strengths of restorative justice, and are looking ahead to how it can influence, inform, and complement Vancouver’s justice system. This article speaks to […]