Our Mission

The mission of the Restorative Justice Community Action is to improve community livability through restorative justice practices.

Who We Are

Restorative Justice Community Action (RJCA) works in Minneapolis neighborhoods to enhance offender accountability for urban livability crimes by empowering local citizens to participate directly in the justice process.

Activities like drug dealing and possession, soliciting prostitution, public drinking, public urination, and disturbing the peace have a detrimental effect on the neighborhoods where they are a common occurrence – making people fearful and distrustful, contributing to commercial and residential instability, and eroding the quality of life of those who live and work in these otherwise vibrant and vital communities.

RJCA pioneered community conferencing, a face-to-face restorative justice model that recognizes the community as a victim of crime and gives offenders constructive ways to make amends for their actions. The community conferencing model we use is an adaptation of family group conferencing, a conflict resolution process that originated with the Maori people of New Zealand.

What Is Restorative Justice?

Restorative justice is about repairing the harm caused by crime or conflict. Face-to-face models allow the people affected to meet and decide outcomes together. In contrast to the traditional system of justice, which is punitive, restorative justice aims to mend what was broken.

Through restorative justice:

Victims and community have a voice in the process

Offenders take steps to repair harm

Offenders are re-integrated

Relationships are strengthened

RJCA History

Restorative Justice Community Action originated as the Central City Neighborhoods Partnership (CCNP) Restorative Justice Program in 1997. It was sponsored by Stevens Square Community Organization (SSCO) on behalf of the original CCNP neighborhood associations: Stevens Square, Downtown, Loring Park, and Elliot Park. Concerned with the impact of livability crimes on their communities, the four original neighborhood associations took action to improve the criminal justice system’s response to chronic crime in the urban core by establishing a restorative justice program. The high incidence of behaviors such as drinking in public, loitering to buy or sell narcotics, soliciting prostitution, disturbing the peace, and public urination were contributing to an atmosphere that negatively impacted the quality of life for those whose homes, jobs, businesses, schools, and places of worship are located in the heart of the city. Program founder, Gena Gerard, developed community conferencing as a restorative justice practice for CCNP, an implementation of a conflict resolution model called Family Group Conferencing, which originated with the Maori people in New Zealand.

After completing a three-year plan for expanded services (July 2002 – June 2005), the program grew to 11 participating neighborhoods by adding Whittier, North Loop, Cedar Riverside / West Bank, Marcy Holmes, Southeast Como, University of Minnesota, and Prospect Park to the service area. As the boundaries expanded beyond CCNP’s original service area, SSCO and community members came to a consensus with system leaders that incorporation would increase service capabilities. With the full support of SSCO, the program incorporated as Restorative Justice Community Action on July 1, 2005. Gena Gerard then served as Restorative Justice Community Action’s first Executive Director until stepping down in 2007.

As of January 1, 2009, the service area expanded again to a total of 50 participating neighborhoods. The current three-year strategic plan includes continued expansion with the ultimate goal of providing restorative services to all Minneapolis neighborhoods.

Community Conferencing

What is Community Conferencing?

Community Conferencing is a restorative justice process that engages offenders with the community to address livability crimes by focusing on personal responsibility and neighborhood restoration. In a small group meeting, trained facilitators guide a respectful discussion between offenders and community members affected by crime. Participants may include direct victims, area residents, workers, business owners, students, church members, and other stakeholders. The group talks about the impact of the offense, educating the offender about how the person's actions affect them and their neighborhood. The group then decides together on a community restitution agreement that typically involves volunteer service in the neighborhood of the offense. Agreements can also include apologies, donations, or personal development activities such as classes or counseling. Topics covered range from public drinking and public urination to soliciting prostitution and drug dealing/possession. This program was pioneered by Restorative Justice Community Action, when it originally started in 1997 as the Central City Neighborhoods Partnership Restorative Justice Program.

Why Do We Need It?

Our criminal justice system is overloaded with quality-of-life crimes, but resources to address them are limited. Offenders often have no idea how they are affecting others, and are rarely given the opportunity to right their wrongs. The stakeholders - offenders, victims, and community – remain disconnected. Restorative justice gives us tools to make our community stronger by holding offenders responsible to those they have harmed, educating them about the consequences of their actions, and giving them positive ways to be reconnected to the community as they help strengthen the neighborhoods where they offended.

Partners

RJCA has established innovative, successful partnerships with the Minneapolis and University of Minnesota Police Departments, Minneapolis City Attorney's Office, Hennepin County District Court, Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Hennepin County Community Corrections, and Hennepin County Public Defender's Office. Through these partnerships, the community has the ability to access court referrals as well as influence policy-making on issues that affect the criminal justice system’s capacity to keep our streets safe. (For example, citizens successfully convinced the Minneapolis City Council to restore city prosecutor positions slated to be cut in the fall of 2001.)

Community partnerships are integral to the functioning of RJCA. Local organizations, churches, and businesses donate meeting space on a monthly basis, allowing us to hold conferences in locations that are convenient for people in the participating neighborhoods. Some organizations offer service opportunities to offenders who are working to fulfill conference agreements. Others, like the various neighborhood organizations and business associations, assist our staff with outreach efforts. Plymouth Congregational Church (located in the Stevens Square neighborhood) pays the expenses for our annual dinner to recognize several hundred volunteers.

RJCA is actively involved in both the Minnesota Restorative Services Coalition and Hennepin County Restorative Justice Network, associations of restorative justice programs with regular meetings for the purpose of networking, information-sharing, collaboration, and promoting best practices. Our organization was instrumental in establishing the Hennepin County Restorative Justice Network in 2000, after it became apparent that local programs could benefit from coordination of services and relationships with the criminal justice system.