Community Justice Hubs
Citizen-led, data-informed, and restorative.
RJP Maine facilitates programming and organizing within the four counties that comprise the midcoast: Waldo, Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc. It is worth noting that this geographic area is the same as Prosecutorial District Six; it is also the public health district. Our belief is that if we can demonstrate meaningful restorative practice - at depth - in this discreet geographic area, then we'll not only be improving the lives of citizens locally, but also offering a template that other geographies may draw inspiration from. Our programs encompass the broad spectrum of restorative practice from prevention / community-building to intervention / harm repair to reintegration/ reentry.
Co-creating Community Justice Hubs alongside local, county-based steering teams is the vehicle we have chosen to navigate towards restorative communities. Our vision is that all people living in mid-coast Maine will experience safety and belonging in restorative communities!
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PREVENTION
Restorative Schools Restorative practices in schools is a front line for enhancing connectedness and gaining comfort with expressing feelings and needs - both of which are community building elements that prevent harm from occurring and building proficiency around how to repair harm when it happens. Rather than detention, suspension and expulsion — all of which thwart learning — restorative justice builds on the power of relationships, creating a cultural shift in how schools respond to misbehavior and wrong-doing. Students are provided a supportive means to take accountability for their actions, to hear from those they’ve harmed, and to take steps to repair the damage they’ve caused. RJP-Maine offers ongoing training and capacity building in school-based implementation. |
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Community Harm Repair Program
Community members, those harmed, law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, and probation officers can divert young people and adults who have caused harm or committed a crime from the traditional path of criminal legal response – conviction, criminal record and in some cases incarceration – to the Community Harm Repair Program for resolution. In these processes, those harmed have the opportunity to talk about the damage that was caused and the impact on their lives. Those who caused harm tell what happened and take accountability. Family members and supporters share how they were affected. With the help of community participants, the group who opts to engage reaches consensus on how the harm can be repaired. Those who caused harm have the opportunity to work with a trained, community volunteer - a mentor - to support them in successful completion of the agreement. At the end, there is a closing circle where all who made the agreement re-assemble to determine whether they are satisfied that things have been made right. In any situation, good outcomes involve relationships repaired, sense of safety or sense of trust rebuilt. And regardless of where the referral came from, there is generally a good outcome in terms of reduced contact with punitive measures; e.g. if it was a community or law enforcement referral, the incident can be attended to without the need for criminal legal involvement; and typical for court-involved referrals charges are reduced or dismissed. |
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REINTEGRATION
Reintegrating prisoners into community In partnership with the Maine Coastal Regional Reentry Center, the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office and Volunteers of America, RJPMaine applies the principles and practices of restorative justice to build trust and relationships among men and staff in the Center and in the community of Belfast and surrounding area. At any given time, up to 32 resident men complete a rigorous application and selection process to finish the final eight to twelve months of their sentences at the Center. We match these residents with mentors from the community, teach them restorative justice and facilitate circles to address issues and resolve conflict. |
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