Bringing together adults who have caused harm and person(s) harmed/community to identify, repair, and prevent harm through meaningful accountability.
An adult restorative community conference is a facilitated conversation, either face-to-face or virtual and between the person(s) harmed/community and the adult participant who caused harm. Persons harmed are people directly impacted by the adult participant’s actions. Community member participants are trained in restorative practices and can speak of the broader impacts and support adult participant through the process. Participation of the community and/or persons harmed is voluntary. Participation of the referred adult is based upon their willingness and readiness. After taking time to tell the story and conditions which led to an incident, conference participants co-create a restorative agreement for the adult participant to addressed what happened. When the referred adult completes the agreement, the outcomes are shared with the conference participants. This process includes four steps:
1) Intake
A phone conversation between a person who has caused harm (referred participant) and the Adult Case Coordinator to determine eligibility.
An in-person or virtual meeting between the Adult Case Coordinator and the referred participant to describe the process more fully, providing opportunity for questions, and enrolling them in the program.
2) Orientation
3) Community Conference
(a) Discussion of Impact — The referred participant shares their narrative of what happened, root causes of the behavior, how they feel about it, and who was affected. Community members ask questions for understanding, share how the behavior impacted the community, and provide support. Anyone directly harmed and/or their supporters are welcome to participate. (b) Creating an Agreement – Through consensus, the group creates an agreement for the referred participant to repair harm and move forward in positive ways. The agreement is not a punishment; it is a meaningful and constructive way to make amends. Agreements are unique to each individual and could include elements such as community service, letters, personal development, or other activities.
Each referred participant has 2 months from the date of the conference to complete the agreement. Completion of the agreement helps to contribute to positive legal outcomes for the case.