Restorative Justice

Restorative justice is a philosophy and practice based on the idea of taking responsibility for actions that have hurt or harmed someone else and/or yourself. Rather than focus on punishment and isolation from the community, restorative justice focuses on meaningful accountability, which includes actively engaging in understanding what harms have been done and how to repair those harms.

The vision of the restorative justice work we are doing at CJAM is to create safer communities, greater victim satisfaction, and authentic and meaningful accountability. We do this in the juvenile setting in partnership with Monroe County Juvenile Probation Department, and with adults through Adult Probation, the Prosecutor’s office, and the Public Defender’s office.

Types of Restorative Justice Services Include:

• Victim and Offender Restoration Program (V.O.R.P)
• The Shoplifting and Theft Education Program (S.T.E.P.)
• Restorative Justice workshops and training programs

Types of harms we address:

• burglary, breaking & entering
• Vandalism, destruction of property
• Harassment, intimidation
• Leaving the scene of an accident (with damage or injury)
• Minor assault (e.g. fighting in school)
• Conversion, shoplifting (STEP)
• Criminal recklessness
• OWI/DWI with damage or bodily injury
• Writing bad checks, forgery
• Theft from employer/employee

Funding for these programs is provided in part by the Monroe County Probation Department,  the Indiana Department of Neighborhood Development Tax Credits, the Sophia Travis Social Service Funds, and client fees.