Vandalism of Cemetery Ends Up With Community Harmony

Vandalism of a Warren cemetery was the focus of a recent Restorative Justice Community Resolution Team (CRT). Over 18 people participated in the conversation and healing process that brought the community closer together and put two youths on the right track.

The healing process began when the Juvenile Community Corrections Officer in Knox County asked the Restorative Justice Project (RJP) of the Midcoast to get involved in a case where two juveniles had been arrested for vandalizing antique headstones.

Donna Gilbert, one of the two AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteers on the RJP staff was the case’s Co-Facilitator.  The first milestone in the restorative process was a meeting of an 18 person Community Resolution Team (CRT)  which included offenders, an RJP mentor, harmed parties (the headstone mason, members of the Warren Historical Society, the town council selectwoman, parents, a note-taker, and a probation officer.

Donna’s Restorative Justice training and experience taught her that the success of the CRT depended on preparation of the key participants.  So, she met individually with the boys and their families and told them what to expect, including the specific hard questions and they would be expected to answer that are a part of all CRT’s.  Her key message to the offenders was “You need to provide direct answers because others in the circle will be watching to see if you are truly taking responsibility for your actions.”

“The CRT meeting was initially very solemn, time consuming and intense.  Everyone was very serious as each participant spoke about how the vandalism affected them,” Donna recalls.

After taking a short refreshment and social break the meeting resumed and Donna reports it took a very positive turn as the group started brainstorming ways in which the boys could repair the harm during which each of the harmed parties stepped forward to help the juveniles with their community service.

During the community service things got even better. The juveniles had a great time performing their community service and getting to know the offended parties, who, they discovered were real people and also a lot of fun.

The next big event for the juveniles was to go before the Warren Board of Selectmen in executive session and report on their service and apologize for their offense.

“The selectmen were great,” Donna reports. They listened respectfully and then responded with comments like “Apologizing is a good thing,” “We forgive you,” and “We are here to help and serve you.”  One of the juveniles later commented, “The selectmen are my neighbors.”

The final event in the process was a Closing Circle with the key participants again in attendance.  At the Closing Circle, the participants were asked to share what they learned.  The harmed parties were asked “Are you OK with this outcome?  Was the harm repaired?”

“In the end, the juveniles, the parents and their community were all much closer,” Donna summarized.  “And, most importantly, I think it gave these two young people an opportunity to grow as solid, law-abiding citizens in their community.”

Read comments from other CRT participants.