Link to Archive of Weekly Issues International Conference on Restorative Justice Practices

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Created: January 31, 2002
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International Conference on
Restorative Justice Practices

Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individaul Authors, April 2002.
"Fair use" encouraged.

The Third International Conference on
Conferencing, Circles and other Restorative Practices:
"Dreaming Of A New Reality"

August 8-10, 2002
Minneapolis, Minnesota
(pre-conference workshops August 5-7)
Thunderbird Hotel and Convention Center

Original at
  Session Title Presenters Session Summary
A First Survey on Victim-offender Mediation in Italy
(40 min.)		 Anna Mestitz, Italian National Research Council, Bologna, Italy This paper presents some preliminary findings of the first survey on the 9 victim-offender mediation services currently operating in Italy. Data were collected by means of two different questionnaires, one addressed to mediators and one to the mediation service directors. Information deals with the following aspects of the mediation services: work flow, organisation and funding, physical lay-out and technologies, mediation practice and its theoretical framework, training of mediators and their work satisfaction. Results show that only a minority of mediation services currently function as completely independent organisations; instead, the majority of services are directly connected with the juvenile courts.
African Transformative Justice System: Developing an Effective Justice Model Using Victim-Offender Mediation Saib Feyisetan, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, Onipanu, Lagos, Nigeria The presenters has worked with an organization in Nigeria committed to changing the face of the criminal justice system in the Western African coast from the present retributive justice system to transformative justice. The countries chosen for the pilot scheme are Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia. The presenter will situate the project within the traditional African justice system and the ideals of restorative justice.
A New Reality for Offenders
(40 min.)		 Steven E. Thomas, Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Fox Lake, WI Accountability becomes the basis for healing and restoration of a fabric that has been torn and worn thin, by philosophies of “lock them up,” but 99 percent will be released back to the community. How will they be sewn back into the fabric? In this session you will see and hear practices that replace punitive and adversarial relationships and heal offenders in prison, through victim impact, peace circles, mediation and community, that restore the warp and woof and integrates the offender into the very fabric of community. Chaplain Thomas explores through video and discussion what works in institutions.
An Evaluation of Restorative Practices in a School for Troubled Youth
(40 min.)		 Paul McCold, International Institute for Restorative Practices, Bethlehem, PA This session will report on a 3-year evaluation of the use of a restorative practices milieu in the Community Service Foundation schools in southeastern Pennsylvania. The schools provide counseling, education and residential services to troubled and delinquent youth. The evaluation looks at the effects of restorative practices on student attitudes, family bonding and re-offending.
An Evaluation of the Thames Valley Police Initiative in Restorative Cautioning
(40 min.)		 Richard Young, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
Mel Lofty, Thames Valley Police, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, UK

David Bowes, Thames Valley Police, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, UK		 The Centre for Criminological Research at Oxford University has recently completed a three-year study of restorative cautioning, as practised by Thames Valley Police in the United Kingdom. The study has taken the form of “action-research,” whereby the research team undertook an initial investigation into cautioning practice, before reporting back to the police and making a number of recommendations aimed at improving cautioning technique, which were implemented prior to the full evaluation. This presentation will set out the findings of the study and will give an opportunity to the research subjects to set out their response to the findings.
Back to the Roots of Restorative Justice: Restorative Justice on a Reservation
(40 min.)		 Terry Anfinson, Anishinabe Opport. Industrial. Center, Onamia, MN

Phil Galeoto, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, MN		 The restorative justice techniques of circle sentencing and family group conferencing are derived from practices of indigenous peoples. We have engaged these two practices in conjunction with the justice system and other services on the Mille Lacs Reservation, Onamia, Minnesota. We will go through the conditions which led up to the implementation of these practices including the failures and successes of each. We will emphasize the needed collaborations and partnerships. We will discuss the positive outcome techniques used in our evaluation and tracking processes.
Behind Prison Walls: Resolving Losses
(40 min.)		 Peter MacDougall, Guelph Wellington FaithCare, Guelph, ON, Canada

Rosemary Kennedy, TypeWorks Counselling and Consulting, Guelph, ON, Canada		 “Behind Prison Walls: Resolving Losses” is an innovative eight-week program at the medium-security provincial institution in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in which men, close to their release date, choose to discuss unresolved personal losses. Often, as they come to grips with life situations in which they were victims, they are able to begin to understand the reasons for their actions and accept responsibility for the impact that behaviour has on others. The purpose is to prepare participants for a reconciliation conference with their victims using the Real Justice model. Although this program offers a multi-faith chaplaincy focus for the reintegration of ex-offenders into the community, it can easily be adapted to any group in which individuals are dealing with unresolved losses and willing to accept responsibility for their actions.
Community Advocate Panels
(40 min.)		 Ann Twait, Forest Lake Area Youth Service Bureau, Forest Lake, MN

Denise Dietz, Forest Lake Area Youth Service Bureau

Matt Howard, Forest Lake Area Youth Service Bureau

Amy Strunk, Forest Lake Area Youth Service Bureau		 In this session we will be discussing community advocate panels. We will share the purpose, strategies and outcomes of both the youth and parent panels. We will discuss how the victims are involved and represented in the process and provide examples of letters to victims. We will also discuss our community service component and the success we have by providing meaningful learning.
Community Circles: Exercising the Power of Community
(40 min.)		 Frank Schweigert, Northwest Area Foundation, Saint Paul, MN We present three kinds of circles used in developing a community plan to reduce poverty. 1.Action Circles to identify causes of poverty and ways to intervene in persistent poverty in the community. 2.Strategy Circles for community decision-making, functioning as a community legislature. 3.Circles of Support and Accountability for any contractors or grantees serving the planning process, to review progress being made, share difficulties in carrying out the work, and seek solutions together. We conclude this session with discussion of community power and a frank examination of the merits and limits of the circle process in this regard.
Community Justice from a Prosecutor's Perspective
(40 min.)		 Steve Henry, White River Court and Reparative Services Unit, White River Junction, Vermont The session content would be as follows: a. Overview of the Community Justice Intiative with the States Attorney's Office b. Description of steps taken to enmesh with the community. c. Working with the Windsor Police Dept. d. Working with the Windsor Area Community Partnership e. Working with Armory Square Apartments and the introduction of restorative justice to The Tenants Association f. Working with Windsor Schools, relative to using reparative panels, family group conferencing, empowerment, and other initiatives for discipline, rights and learning. g. Working with other community groups. h. Where do we go from here? Question period, and discussion. Closure.
DFO Community Corrections Circles of Support for Female Offenders
(40 min.)		 Gretchen Richardt, Dodge/Fillmore/Olmstead County Community Corrections, MN

Terry George, Dodge/Fillmore/Olmstead County Community Corrections, MN		 In January 2000, the Circles of Support Program of Dodge, Fillmore and Olmsted County Community Corrections got underway. The first Circle volunteers were matched with a high-risk/need female offender on probation in the community. Their purpose? To help the offender rejoin the community, provide a support network and to hold her accountable for her actions in a reasonable and respectful way.

In this session participants will:
• Receive a basic overview of the program.
• Learn about community and organizational impact.
• Be presented program outcomes.
Efforts in Community Healing: Circles in the Hmong Community
(40 min.)		 Kay Pranis, Minnesota Department of Corrections, St. Paul, MN

Sia Lo, Ramsey County Department of Public Health, St. Paul, MN

Mai Moua, St. Paul City Attorney's Office, St. Paul, MN		 Many Hmong people immigrated to the United States following the end of the Vietnam War, often after years in refugee camps. Many of them experienced severe trauma in their escape from Laos and in the camps. That trauma is compounded by cultural dislocation and loss of traditional identity and roles, creating enormous stress in Hmong families. The Hmong community in Minnesota is exploring the use of healing circles to support Hmong social service and public health workers on their own healing journeys so they can be more effective in their work with families.
How to Make it Happen: Cross-systems Integration of Balanced and Restorative Practices
(40 min.)		 Lynda Garner, Orange County Department of Mental Health, Goshen, NY

Scott Palermo, Port Jervis City School District, Port Jervis, NY		 Utilizing cross-systems training and professional conferences, restorative practices have been introduced and implemented by the probation department, mental health department, the family courts, the County Attorneys office, the District Attorney, the Youth Bureau, police departments, and several county school districts. Agencies and schools are beginning to work cooperatively through balanced and restorative practices. This workshop will focus on how information and training were disseminated and cooperation was garnered. Those who are excited about Balanced and Restorative Practices, but are not sure how to get others involved, will not want to miss this dynamic session.
How to Stand in the Halls: Taking Bullying and Harassment Seriously
(40 min.)		 Cynthia Zwicky, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis, MN What does bullying look like? How can I respond when bullying and harassment is homophobic? Because we rarely had role models for addressing this when we were younger, too often today we do nothing. As we see the rise of violence in the schools it is increasingly important that we begin addressing the issue of bullying in our schools. This session is designed for persons working in a school setting.
How We Get from Here to There: Violence Prevention from the Inside Out
(40 min.)		 Julie Anne Young, Violence Prevention Consultant, Whitman, MA It is my mission to reduce violent crimes, and reconnect communities by bridging generations through passion-driven education:

• Student led projects. Students select topic, prepare and teach others.
• Create an atmosphere of connectedness
• Foster emotional growth and development in a social environment.
• Create an atmosphere where freedom of thought is nurtured and encouraged
• Create an atmosphere where feelings are encouraged and expressed
• Accountability for successes and failures
• Help develop global concern
• Everyone involved in some way is helping others
• Have reverence for the arts
• Give ample opportunity for success and self-esteem will reflect all successes
• Have a "zero tolerance for bullying" policy
• Have parenting classes and playgroups while older students are in school
• Allow high school students major role in organizing and creating from the ground up
• Nature and protecting the environment are at the forefront of the program.
Hozhooji Youth Diversion Project
(40 min.)		 Kendall L. Long, Navajo Nation Office of the Chief Prosecutor, Window Rock, AZ This session will report on the Hozhooji Youth Diversion Project, a program which provides presentations, counseling, workshops and awareness for first-time youth offenders of non-violent crimes. In the Navajo way, Hozhooji means “harmony” or “in a good way”. The HYDP project is designed to actively involve the youth, with their family, in a three-session diversionary program that is designed to provide awareness and ultimately provide balance and harmony between the youth, the family and their community. Services offered may include work sessions, traditional sweats, talking circle sessions, ropes courses, and other activities. The goal is to reduce the recidivism of first-time youth offenders by 65 percent.
Implementing Conferencing in a Legalistic Country
(40 min.)		 Inge Vanfraechem, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium When implementing a conferencing project in a legalistic country, some issues arise. First of all, working at the level of the youth court implies trying to motivate judges to refer cases to the project and making them aware of the project. It also entails working out a good referral procedure and taking into account legal issues and safeguards. Having the police present at the conference (not as a facilitator) is not an evident option, since in a legalistic system police do not have power of decision. Looking at these issues and some of the solutions found in practice, can be of use for other projects starting up conferencing.
Incorporating a Restorative Justice Approach in the Phillippine Juvenile Justice System: A Case Study
(40 min.)		 Ray Dean Salvosa, Child. & Youth Found. of the Philippines, Makati City, MetroManila, Philippines The presentation seeks to highlight the various strategies that was undertaken by a goup of non-government organizations to initiate major reforms in the juvenile justice system in the Philippines. The presentation starts out with a situationer that outlines the major problems and the remedies that the NGO's undertook to address those problems as well as initiate a major reform program that led to the incorporation of restorative justice as the operating philosophy of the first comprehensive juvenile justice and delinquency prevention bill that is now pending in the Congress. It will also show how restorative justice has been incorporatated in the training programs for family court judges in the Philippine Judicial Academy as well as its inclusion in the training curriculums of the verious agencies involved in juvenile justice: law enforcement, jail management personnel, public attorney's office, etc.
Indian Restorative Healing
(40 min.)		 James W. Zion, Native Rights Advocates, Albuquerque, NM Indian restorative practices address healing. This workshop will show how traditional Indian ceremonies heal (maintaining due respect for the sacredness and confidentiality of actual ceremonies) and how the same healing dynamics work in traditional Indian restorative practices. It will show Indian contributions to the conferencing movement, and their relevance to Western approaches to restoration. the presentation will build upon research which related Navajo peacemaking practices to traditional Navajo healing methods. It will also address the question of whether or how Indian practices can be replicated in Western restorative processes.
Introduction to Real Justice Conferencing
(40 min.)		 Bob Costello, International Institute for Restorative Practices, Bethlehem, PA The philosophy and practice of Real Justice conferencing will be explained for those who are not familiar with that model of conferencing. The presentation includes an 18-minute video.
Juvenile Accountability Conferencing: A Child of Restorative Justice
(40 min.)		 Linda Burns, Tri-County Mediation Center, Amsterdam, NY A new spin on Restorative Justice, the Juvenile Accountability Conferencing Program in Montgomery County, New York, is helping youthful offenders understand the consequences of their crime, not only for themselves, but for others. It is giving victims an opportunity to have nagging questions about the crime answered, establish restitution that they feel "fits" the crime and their needs, and most of all, find closure. The youthful offenders are relieved to be able to make things right and put their lives back together. This session is an opportunity to learn how this new program is being run, some of the pitfalls and triumps of actual conferences, names withheld of course, and offers a question and answer period.
Living Life Restoratively
(40 min.)		 Jean Kuehl, Department of Corrections, Cedar Rapids, IA

Valerie Kemp, Iowa Department of Corrections, Coralville, IA		 Round table discussion on the practical application of practicing restorative justice principles in daily living. If for one day, you approached your job, co-workers, family, school.... and utilized restorative principles, what would that mean? How would it feel? What would be different? Walk through a real live senario that will allow you to really start to think about what it means to practice what you preach and to be that which you want to create.
Nonpunitive Alternative Education
(40 min.)		 Joyce Hale, Weakley County Schools, Dresden, TN Preventing students from dropping out of school is a formidable task. Many students who find themselves behind socially and academically would rather leave the system than face the challenge. Who can blame them? By focusing on a non-punitive alternative education, we can show these students why an education does matter, and that they matter.
Parental Self-efficacy and the Dynamics of Restorative Justice Forums
(40 min.)		 Jeremy Prichard, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia This presentation uses Braithwaite's (1989) theory of reintegrative shaming as a springboard to consider the role of the parents of young offenders in restorative justice forums. The session warns of the dangers of (a) narrowly conceptualising parent's emotions in conferences, and (b) allowing the shaming of parents. Psychology literature on parental self-efficacy and observations from over 60 conferences in Australia are drawn on to suggest that parents often feel 'on trial' for the actions of their child. Shaming parents in conferences may worsen parent-child relationships. This may explain the correlation found between the shaming of parents and recidivism amongst juveniles in New Zealand (Maxwell & Morris, 1999).
R.E.S.T.O.R.E. - A Restorative Justice Approach to Selected Sexual Offences in Pima County Arizona
(40 min.)		 Karen J. Bachar, University Of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Mary Koss, University Of Arizona, Tucson, AZ		 R.E.S.T.O.R.E. is a collaboration of the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, the Pima County Attorneys Office and the University of Arizona. The R.E.S.T.O.R.E. program (a pretrial diversion program using a community conferencing model) was developed to increase access to judicial relief for victims of gender-linked sexual crimes and to improve system accountability by holding perpetrators accountable for their acts to the people and communities they have violated. The presentation will include information about program development; describe the conferencing stages, and discus the preliminary evaluation plan.
Restorative Justice: A Police/School Collaboration
(40 min.)		 Perrie McMillen, Fort Collins Police Services, Fort Collins, CO

Sarah Asmus, Poudre School District, Fort Collins, CO		 In Fort Collins, Colo., we are working to develop a restorative community-wide model for working with youth. The Restorative Justice Youth Conferencing Program, a unique collaboration between the City of Fort Collins Police Services and the Poudre School District, provides an alternative to the traditional justice system and school disciplinary measures for youth who create harm and commit crimes within the schools and the community as a whole. We will discuss what makes this collaborative endeavor work, including sharing of resources and program support, as well as some of the challenges.
Restorative Justice and Youth Development: Reconciling Perspectives
(40 min.)		 Clark Peters, Chapin Hall Center for Children/U of Chicago, Chicago, IL This paper examines two perspectives, restorative justice and youth development, exploring their distinct histories and theoretical roots, commonalities, and conflicts. In the context of 1997 revisions of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act, a youth services agency has increasingly provided programs that emphasize each perspective, and has worked to reconcile them. The paper discusses the agency's blossoming community justice program and offers an alternative model that incorporates aspects of the two approaches, resolving conflicts between them, and suggests how the new model may operate in practice.
Restorative Justice Circles: The Impact of Community Involvement
(40 min.)		 Betty Vos, University of Minnesota, Virginia, MN This presentation will report findings from an extensive qualitative study of the use of circles in the South Saint Paul community (Minnesota). It will describe the nature of the South Saint Paul circle work and its process; how participants perceived the impact of circles on themselves, their community and the formal justice system; how circles are viewed by members of the formal justice system; and implications for policy and program development.
Restorative Justice in Germany: The VOM-statistic
(40 min.)		 Arthur Hartmann, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany The VOM-statistic is an evaluation project which has run since 1993. The greater part of VOM projects in Germany takes place in this evaluation on a volunteer basis. Data are collected on the projects, the cases and the victims, offenders and involved third parties. The VOM-statistic contains more than 40 questions/items for each case. Questions are asked regarding the initiator of the VOM case, the mediator, the duration, the persons involved, the relations of these persons, the contacts between mediators and the involved parties, the offence, the acceptance of VOM and VOM-sessions, the results of VOM like compensation for the victim, community service, further court proceedings or not, further formal sanctions, age, gender, race and profession of victim and offender and other data.
Restorative Justice in Prison: The Value of Surrogate Processes for Citizens, Victims and Offenders
(40 min.)		 Heather Burns, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN In this collaboration between the Center for Crime Victims Services and the Minnesota Department of Corrections, victims of crime, community members and offenders took part in a new project held at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Lino Lakes in the fall of 2001. Participants met weekly to engage in dialogue about their personal experiences with violent crime and its enormous impact in their lives. This unique form of surrogate restorative conferencing allows for a meeting between those who were involved in or harmed by similar crimes, but not involved in the same actual cases. This presentation will provide a discussion of the program model and the research findings gleaned from observation, taped sessions and participant surveys.
Restorative Practices: The Implications for Educational Institutions
(40 min.)		 Patricia Marshall, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Community conferencing is another model of dispute resolution that may be used by educational institutions. To prevent inappropriate use, however, it should be set with the other available strategies and processes. Wise use may be enhanced by examining the situations that determine the choice of particular models. The adoption of yet another model has implications for the institution: structural, interpersonal, and legal.
Restoring Hope for the Brain-injured Through Restorative Justice
(40 min.)		 Barry Neufeld, Ministry for Children & Family Develop., Chilliwack, BC, Canada The Retributive Justice system works on the premise that if there is enough punishment, then offenders will be deterred from criminal behavior. But what if a person is unable to cognitively associate cause and effect, to understand consequences of behavior? This is characteristic of Brain Injured persons. How can they be held accountable?
Sentencing Circles for Aboriginal Offenders in Canada: Furthering the Idea of Aboriginal Justice Within a Western Justice Framework
(40 min.)		 Melanie Spiteri, Aboriginal People's Justice Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada This session will examine the degree to which the idea of Aboriginal justice, and the concepts associated with this idea, have been furthered by the implementation of sentencing circles in Aboriginal communities across Canada. It will be argued that the amount of control that Aboriginal community members have over the sentencing circle process and sentencing itself is an important factor in furthering the idea of Aboriginal justice within a Western justice framework. This session will begin with a general overview of the presenter's thesis study and the circle process itself. The findings of the study will be discussed as well as the suggestion that while circle participants can introduce Aboriginal traditions and practices into the circle process and can suggest restorative and healing sentencing plans, they do this within the constraints of the criminal justice system. The session will conclude with a discussion about the need for justice system reforms in Canada, the problems of implementing such reforms as well as next steps and suggestions for further research.
Sexual Abuse and Restorative Justice Train the Trainer Program
(40 min.)		 Lynda Banning, Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute, Thunder Bay, ON,

Canada Betty Achneepineskum, Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada		 In this session, individuals will refresh and broaden their understanding of the historical roots of sexual abuse within First Nations. They will learn about the impact sexual abuse has had or community members within Nishnawabe Aski Nation (NAN). Restorative Justice is viewed as an important alternative approach for dealing with reports of sexual abuse in NAN communities. Efforts to address this issue more effectively have resulted in the development of the Sexual Abuse and Restorative Train the Trainer Program. This session will discuss the development of the program, efforts to deliver it in communities, and the response to date.
Society 2000, Inc.: Making the Dream Work
(40 min.)		 Randi Gage, Society 2000, Inc., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Patrick Larocque, Society 2000, Inc., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada		 This session will describe Society 2000, Inc., a “pre-employment” service for the soon-to-be-released/newly released federal/provincial inmate. Society 2000, Inc., located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, serves as a “first contact” service to employment or training. Society 2000, Inc., is not an employment/training organization, but a link between the client and the existing agencies and employers in our community. Through interviews, testing and skills review, each client is assessed as to his/her abilities and introduced to a compatible workplace or training site for employment or further skills development, with full-time employment the planned result.
The 8% Solution: Multi-disciplinary Intervention Strategies for High-risk Juvenile Probationers
(40 min.)		 Jeffrey Corp, Orange County Probation Dept., Anaheim, California

Shirley Hunt, Orange County Probation Dept., Anaheim, California		 Research conducted by the Probation Department in Orange County, California, divulged that a small percentage of first-time offenders (8%) were ultimately responsible for over 50% of repeat offenses. As a result, the county has established six regional Youth and Family Resource Centers, providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary, collaborative single site programming to targeted high-risk youth and their families. Formal evaluation results to date, in particular those for the younger 8% offender program, reveal lower recidivism and greater risk reduction among many of the YFRC youth. These findings provide promising evidence of the model's success in intervening with this high-risk youthful offender population.
The Aftermath of Homicide: Meeting Needs and Expectations of Survivors Through Conferencing in New South Wales
(40 min.)		 Tracey Booth, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia This paper aims to introduce an innovative family group conferencing program that has been recently implemented in New South Wales and to explore the program's potential to meet the needs and expectations of homicide survivors currently unmet by conventional criminal justice processes. The program is an overtly victim-oriented, communitarian model of restorative justice (Dignan and Cavadino (1996)) that operates on a post-conviction basis. There are no restrictions as to the nature of offences or offenders that may be the subject of a conference provided there is an identifiable victim. Using a case study of a recent conference involving a homicide, I will demonstrate the operation of the conferencing program and its application for homicide survivors.
The Development of Restorative Justice in Hong Kong
(40 min.)		 Dennis Wong, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China The juvenile justice in Hong Kong embraces disciplinary welfare-oriented approach for treating juvenile delinquents. Because of the ignorance of the restorative justice concepts by legal and criminal justice professionals and the worry about whether real justice can be achieved outside the court system, restorative practice is not common. In this workshop, I will share with participants on what I have done in promoting such a new concept in Hong Kong. A 15 mins video, which documented the first victim-offender mediation process ever conducted in Hong Kong, will be presented.
The hyper-specialisation of interventions: Just being there for us
(40 min.)		 Carl Parsons, Canterbury Christ Church University College, Canterbury, Kent, UK Early intervention work, preventative interventions and restorative and corrective practices abound. Training in doing it, manuals to support practice, websites for on-going support point to an increasingly 'professionalised' strategy. These approaches have a growing appeal in the UK but they confront professional cultures which are more holistic and less specialised. Inter-agency, multi-professional, joined up services are currently favoured yet some evidence suggests workers with a key link role and limited training can have as much success by ‘just being there for us'. Additionally there is considerable effort invested in ‘regenerating communities'; part of this is to train local activists to engage with the community in addressing its problems. Thus, befriending, mentoring, family visiting and volunteer family support are gaining ground as approaches that place LESS reliance on trained professionals to DELIVER services TO a passive, troubled individual, family or community. The discussion extends to a weighing of the expertise external professionals bring to a ‘problem' individual or family and the strength of community belongingness and local knowledge. Additionally consideration is given to notions of professional despotism and disempowerment.
The Path to Restorative Practices Initiative Developed by the Minnesota Restorative Justice Campaign
(40 min.)		 Terry Anfinson, Anishinabe Opport. Industrial. Center, Onamia, MN

Allison Anfinson, Minnesota Restorative Justice Campaign, Minneapolis, MN

Stefanie Autumn, Minnesota Restorative Justice Campaign

Charlie Cree, Minnesota Restorative Justice Campaign		 This is the format by which the Minnesota Restorative Justice Campaign will develop restorative practices in new communities. This is done by identifying stakeholders in the community, determining a target area, creating an action plan concerning restorative practices, developing evaluation procedures, and implementing the restorative practices action plan. This format resembles the successful strategy created by the Children’s Justice Initiative led by Minnesota Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz. This format has been developed so it can be used in any size or type of community, including communities of color.
The Role of Voice in Justice Processes
(40 min.)		 Eric Kenneth Gross, Widener University, Chester, PA Restorative justice presents a vision of justice where participants (victims AND offenders) are encouraged to tell their story. It breaks the pattern of invalidation/negation, which is healing to both parties, so justice itself becomes a process of violence reduction through participant validation. Eric spent the last four years in Navajo country studying their peacemaking process. His presentation proposes theoretical explanations to explain the power of Navajo peacemaking, which should apply equally to non-Aboiginal cultures. This topic could fit with native circles, with story telling, or with theory development.
The Use of Restorative Practices in Latin America
(40 min.)		 Lynnette Parker, Prison Fellowship International, Washington, DC Several Latin American countries are looking for alternative methods for dealing with crime and conflict. This opening has spurred both government and civil society to experiment with restorative processes. Innovations include the use of penal mediation for criminal cases, the introduction of peace education into schools, and the incorporation of restorative principles into law. A pilot project in penal mediation by the University of Buenos Aires has led to the inclusion of mediation in the Argentine criminal justice system. Civil society groups in Chile are pioneering mediation in various aspects of life. Other countries seeing innovations include Costa Rica, Brazil and Mexico.
Toward a Restorative Leadership
(40 min.)		 Paul Schnell, St. Paul Police Department, St. Paul, MN This session will provide a short review of Wachtel and McCold's “social discipline window” and Kim and Mauborgne's work in “fair process.” These two models will provide an understanding for considering organizational and leadership implications from a narrative perspective. How frequently do water conservations turn to stories about the manner in which employees perceive their treatment? It is through these stories that leaders, both formal and informal, can “re-story” experiences and expectations through the use of restorative practices.
Transforming Conflict in the Inner-city: Community Conferencing in Baltimore
(40 min.)		 Lauren Abramson, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD This workshop will include detailed information about how community conferencing is being used to address serious harm in inner-city communities in Baltimore. Topics will include: 1) What is Community Conferencing? 2)How is Community Conferencing being used in Baltimore? (in communities, schools, courts, juvenile justice, and workplaces) 3)Who can we train to be conferencing facilitators? 4) Engaging the human resources in our neighborhoods 4) How can you use Community Conferencing where you live?
United Nations Basic Principles for Restorative Justice Programs
(40 min.)		 Mark Green, Department of Justice Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada The United Nations (UN) has been examining the subject of restorative justice (RJ) since 1995. A Working Party of NGO's has been actively involved in raising the profile of RJ in the international community and this group was also instrumental in promoting the need for standards for RJ programs. Based on a document prepared by this Working Group, in April 2000, the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice adopted a set of draft basic principles for RJ programs in criminal matters. After receiving the required support for these draft principles from member states and UN insitutes and NGO's, an experts' meeting was held in Canada in October 2001 to consider these principles. The meeting was successful in reaching consensus on a set of basic principles and it is expected these principles will be adopted when the UN Commission next meets in April 2002.
Unlocking Aboriginal Justice
(40 min.)		 Bonnie George, Office of the Wet'suweten, Moricetown, B.C., Canada The Unlocking Aboriginal Justice Program is working to strengthen and enhance our tradition based on our cultural laws working in conjuction with the Canadian Justice System. Goals of the program; Prevention, Intervention, Rehabilitation and Support.

What is Unique about our program? The foundation is based upon traditional Wet'swuet'en laws. The invlovment of Hereditary Chiefs, Members, Victims. The linkage to a future governance structure. The acceptance of the UAJ program by both the Provincial and Federal Governments.

We have drawn from our own experiences through, work, and continual learning. The Western Justice System has been very successful in standing in the way in our efforts in dealing with our problems. The ultimate responsibility for justice relies on all of us as House members of the Wet'suwet'en.
Using Community Group Conferencing for Offender Re-entry
(40 min.)		 John Gehm, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD As the number of offenders sent to correctional institutions has increased dramatically in the last decades, many communities are now experiencing the return of those offenders who have served their sentences. In addition to the problem of how to reintegrate them into their communities, other issues include unresolved issues with victims, community concerns regarding the extent to which rehabilitation has been accomplished or community safety can be ensured. Some community-based offender re-entry programs are examining ways of greater victim involvement and attempting to produce more successful recidivism outcomes. The use of community group conferencing as a technique in offender reintegration may have a role to play in offender re-entry. This paper describes several such programs which have attempted to incorporate a community conferencing re-entry model and will identify the strengths and weaknesses to using such an approach. In addition, it will discuss the theoretical rationale for greater victim involvement in the offender re-entry or parole process.
What Would the World Look Like Without Rewards and Punishments
(40 min.)		 Denise Breton, Living Justice Press, St. Paul, MN

Stephen Lehman, Living Justice Press, St. Paul, MN		 The model of rewards and punishments is deeply embedded in our cultural consciousness. What is its purpose? As a model of justice, does it serve us well? Can it create justice among us? Overwhelming research challenges the model as fundamentally damaging to human peace, self-esteem and happiness. Yet can we let it go? What's real in our interactions without rewards and punishments? Both Socratic and indigenous teaching ground justice in who we are and in “doing what's ours to do.” But because the reward-punishment system has left us inwardly disconnected, justice calls us to go on the healing path to reconnect within. Healing down to our deepest selves, we can dream a world beyond rewards and punishments.
(2)  80-minute Sessions: Check 4 you would most like to attend.
  Session Title Presenters Session Summary
Affect Theory: Why Restorative Practices Work
(80 min.)		 Brian Lynch, Chicago, IL Affect Theory has come to be seen as a firm theoretical underpinning for all of the restorative practices forums. This will be a straightforward look at the basic principals of Affect Theory. I will make practical the theory through examples form my work as a Family Physician. Affect Theory works on the premise that innate emotion is primary and reason is secondary. Whether we are in one-on-one therapeutic relationship or trying to resolve a major community conflict the need to look beyond behavior and speech is essential to achieving deep healing.
All Assistance Short of Actual Help - The Victim's Dilemma
(80 min.)		 Matt Casey, Real Justice, Goulburn, NSW, Australia This workshop looks at an interesting project in Goulburn, a small rural city in New South Wales (Australia), on the use of a restorative framework to best meet the needs of vulnerable families and individuals. What has emerged is a new paradigm firmly based around the restorative notion of “Fair Process”. This model has already achieved significant success creating a different experience for workers and clients suffering dysfunction, abuse and conflict. Importantly it has the potential to enable disparate agencies to better coordinate their efforts to establish and meet the real needs of their clients.
Appreciative Inquiry and Restorative Justice: Exploring the Possibilities
(80 min.)		 Nancy Miller McCreight, Community Justice Circles, Princeton, MN

Don Johnson, Hennepin County Attorney's Office, Minneapolis, MN		 What attracts us to RJ work- what is most meaningful, exciting, challenging? How do we use questions to engage passion and add value to our work? How can we use AI to build community? How do we balance a focus on vision and possibilities with other RJ goals? Using interactive processes, this session will explore how we engage in change and uncover the strengths in ourselves and others. Together we will discuss how AI can benefit restorative justice practitioners.
Bringing Health to Life
(80 min.)		 Michael Johnson, St. Paul Police Department, St. Paul, MN In this session, Officer Michael Johnson of the St. Paul Police will discuss the Health Realization (HR) model of principle-based psychology, which he believes fits “hand in glove” with restorative practices. The three principles of mind, thought and consciousness lead the student to an understanding of how behaviors that don't work well are generated by uncomfortable feelings, created by negative thoughts. Negative thoughts can become habitual, and from this hopeless perspective, it makes sense to use violence and illegal drugs to replace pain with pleasure. The Health Realization model teaches that thoughts are of our own creation. With free will, we can build a reality that works for us. When this insight becomes internalized, people live life in the moment, experience a quiet mind, are more stress free, and are open to common sense and wisdom as a guiding force.
Classroom Circles and the Art of Making Movies
(80 min.)		 Linda Flanders, Taproot, Inc., Bay City, WI

Stephanie Haider, Dakota County Community Corrections, Apple Valley, MN		 This workshop uses restorative principles combined with the artistic process of creating a movie, in a classroom or community setting. It shows “how to”; participants will leave with specific skills and lots of ideas. It offers an innovative and successful alternative to dealing the effects of harmful behavior. Specific video examples are shown of classes that have successfully used this process for a variety of issues and incidents. Videos are available to purchase, which include elementary school curriculum for duplication.
Community Conferencing in Carroll County, Maryland
(80 min.)		 John P. Bellassai, Cygnus Corporation, Rockville, MD

Diane C. McCoy, Cygnus Corporation, Rockville, MD		 Whenever traditional ways meet rapid change, creating new community dynamics, families and youth are challenged to make early-on, critical lifestyle choices. Poor choices often lead to conflict and, increasingly, to the juvenile justice system. Transforming conflict in these circumstances becomes essential for maintaining safe, healthy and harmonious communities. Rural Carroll County, Md., was selected to pilot community conferencing - an Australian model of community-based prevention and diversion for youth 8 to 17. A process and outcomes evaluation is also ongoing. This session describes program features, community context, intended outcomes, lessons learned, and success to date, emphasizing transferability for other communities.
Expanding FGC Within Our Community
(80 min.)		 Kathleen Holland, Supervisor, Hennepin County Family Group Conferencing Program, Minneapolis, MN Family Group Conferencing has been a community-building process from its start in Hennepin County in 1999, when a pilot project by the Minnesota Supreme Court with cooperation from the Juvenile Judicial Court and Children and Family Services Department joined together to explore the use of FGC with child protection families. Now a program under CFSD, we are exploring the use of FGC within our department's community in such areas as long-term foster care, school truancy and homeless families, in addition to families referred to child protection services. Hennepin County is also engaged in the Minnesota Time Limited Reunification Services Grant. Through this grant project, community agencies representing the diverse cultures of our area, join in utilizing FGC as trained coordinators and co-facilitators to make the conferences family focused and culturally sensitive. Our presentation will share the learnings from the implementation of the pilot project, the ongoing exploration of the current program's efforts to build a network and awareness of FGC in our communities, and share the results of our evaluation to date.
Family Group Decision Making: A Practice Reflecting Partnership and Collaboration
(80 min.)		 Suzanne Lohrbach, Olmsted County Child and Family Services, Rochester, MN This workshop will describe Family Group Decision Making in the context of a child welfare system. It will focus on the implementation of FGDM as a decision making process that facilitates constructive relationships with families and service providers and supports collaboration in the development of family plans.
Forgiveness and Restorative Justice Practices: How Well Do They Mix?
(80 min.)		 Don Streufert, University of Minnsota, Duluth, Duluth, MN This workshop will address the role of forgiveness in restorative practices and interventions. Issues and questions to be addressed are: what is forgiveness? How forgiveness is viewed as a threat, a blessing, a gift, an obligation, an event, a process, and a choice. Opportunities will be provided to discuss if, when and how forgiveness is, could, or should be used in pursuing restorative goals and in implementing restorative practices.
Getting Real: A Program of Accountability and Restoration
(80 min.)		 Cheryl Como, Wilder Foundation, St. Paul, MN The Getting Real program focuses on accountability and restoration, through cognitively based approaches, which outline the direct link between thinking used to support behavior, and consequences. The group centers on the development of productive patterns of thinking and identification of appropriate behaviors by providing the opportunity to explore and identify feelings, personal value, and the potential to create a future that is based in a lifestyle geared toward honesty, accountability, and responsibility. The benchmark of this program is the identification of teachable moments and meeting them with creativity and spontaneity while using the topic areas to assist in behavioral change.
Introducing Restorative Practices in Schools
(80 min.)		 Bill Sower, Restorative Justice Solutions, South Lyon, MI

Adam Abdelnoor, Inaura, London, UK		 This workshop will begin with the video, Making Things Right, from the Colorado School Mediation Project. The presenters will then describe school-based initiatives in Michigan and the U.K. Workshop participants will be encouraged to ask questions and to share their own experiences with the introduction of restorative practices in schools. Topics will include: building credibility, designing successful demonstrations, involving parents and the community, understanding and overcoming the insular school culture, and promoting a rethinking of disciplinary values and procedures.
Naahaat'aa: Dineh (Navajo) Traditional Planning
(80 min.)		 Philmer Bluehouse, BLUEHOUSE Peacemaking Institute, Ft. Defiance, Arizona The Dineh of the Southwestern region of the United States have a distinct culture which is very much still intact and has not been completely destroyed by governmental intrusion. The value of healing and peace ar very strong among the grassroots people (Dineh). The attempt to bring this process to a forefront and into the everyday lives of the contemporary Dineh is a a personal commitment and effort made by Philmer Bluehouse. Philmer, who has been a Professional Police Officer amoung his people has seen the destruction of the Dineh in their Spirit, Psychology and Physical being. Phil is convinced and committed to utilizing these time proven strategies to assist the Dineh who have strayed from their culklture and valuses. He sees these peoiople on a daily basis,they are angry and in a frenzy and are in need of healing using the healing qualities and strategies in the Peacemaking process of the Dineh. The Dineh have had this system of the Healing Justice as reflected in the Dineh Creation and Journey narratives. It is brought out through the use of Ceremony, Chants, Songs, Prayer, and creation of ritual objects as the channel to discover, learn and apply.
Neighborhood-based Conferencing of Adult Livability Crimes in Minneapolis
(80 min.)		 Mike Rollin, Central City Neighborhoods Partnership, Minneapolis, MN

Gena Gerard, Central City Neighborhoods Partnership, Minneapolis, MN		 In both sessions, a panel of presenters will acquaint the audience with the neighborhood-based community conferencing model used by Central City Neighborhoods Partnership (CCNP) to address adult livability offenses in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Learn how this unique model empowers ordinary citizens to resolve street crimes such as drug dealing, prostitution, drinking in public, panhandling, and public urination. The panel will discuss community volunteer roles (i.e., facilitators, neighborhood service coordinators, steering committee), community reparations, services available to offenders, collaboration with the judicial system, and outreach to develop community involvement. Time permitting, a role-play exercise may be used to demonstrate the conferencing process.
OASIS: A Pilot RJ Program for Incarcerated Adults
(80 min.)		 James Jones, OASIS, Inc., Lincoln, NE OASIS is and program being piloted at the NE. State penitentiary. Facilitators provide workshops to incarecerated offenders on accountability, competency building, empathy and communciation. Via the OASIS website, victims of crime can request secure information and communication with inmates who have completed the course successfully.
Policing and Restorative Practices
(80 min.)		 Paul Schnell, St. Paul Police Department, St. Paul, MN Session will include a panel of active and recently retired police officers who will each offer a short minute personal perspective related to their impressions of how restorative practices has or has not impacted policing. [Panelists will offer some perspective on how some form of restorative practices might be useful in addressing pressing policing issues like racial profiling.] The international panel has an extensive background in professional policing and backgrounds in the use of restorative practices.
Professional Learning Groups: The Circle of Learning
(80 min.)		 Mary Jo Hebling, Community Service Foundation, Doylestown, PA The Professional Learning Group is an innovative approach to learning that encourages personal, professional and organizational change. It provides a restorative model for learning and enhancing restorative practices within the organization. This session is designed to expose the participant to the Professional Learning Group model. The three current learning group experiences will be described. A panel of former participants will share stories of their learning experiences and answer questions as well. Participants will have the opportunity to experience some Professional Learning Group dynamics by participating in a circle of learning.
Restorative Conferencing: A Needs-led Approach
(80 min.)		 Ann Warner Roberts, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN Question: How do we know which restorative process to use? Answer. All of them! Creating a flexible, needs-led approach to restorative conferencing is an efficient, effective and empowering response when based upon RJ principles and values. Using actual case studies, participants will explore the ins and outs of planning a restorative response by using a variety of options, either alone or in combination. While the main focus of this workshop is on working with victims, offenders and communities within the criminal justice system, this approach also fits into restorative conferencing in schools and the workplace.
Restorative Justice and School Re-entry: Using Circle Conferences for Suspended Students
(80 min.)		 Joanne Katz, Missouri Western State College, St. Joseph, Missouri

Carol S. Gardner, Missouri Western State College, St. Joseph, Missouri		 This workshop will demonstrate the use of a restorative justice circle conferencing as a re-entry into school after suspension. It will provide information on incorporating restorative justice principles into an “in-district” suspension program, teaching restorative justice principles to suspended students, gaining acceptance of restorative justice principles by school personnel, setting up conferences and planning the conference agenda, ensuring follow-up and using effective evaluation criteria for such programs.
Restorative Justice Empowerment and the Perils of Naive Restorative Justice Ideologies
(80 min.)		 Charles Barton, Charles Sturt University, Goulburn , NSW, Australia This workshop involves a brief talk on the above topic, a (partial) group conference role-play of a high risk, rape case scenario, demonstrating the concept of victim-offender and victim-offender community empowerment in practice. The session will be rounded off with group discussion about how different conceptualizations of restorative justice by a practitioner is likely to influence their practice and affect the agreements and outcomes reached in restorative justice meetings.
Restorative Measures in Schools: Evaluation Results
(80 min.)		 Nancy Riestenberg, MN Dept. of Children, Fam. & Learning, Roseville, MN Restorative practices are being implemented in elementary, middle and secondary schools throughout Minnesota, as an intervention when harm happens. The practices and philosophy also guide hallway, lunchroom and classroom management approaches and school climate work. In this workshop, evaluation and implementation of restorative practices in all areas of the school will be shared. The results of a three-year evaluation project involving four Minnesota school districts will be discussed. Among other things, the evaluation noted that consistent application of restorative principles and practices - behavior management approaches and circles to repair harm - resulted in significant yearly reduction of behavior referrals and suspensions in one elementary school. Acts of physical aggression reported to the office in the school dropped from 773 to 153 over three and a half years of application.
Restorative Measures in the Schools
(80 min.)		 Jack Mangan, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis, MN Attendees will learn to integrate Restorative Circles into the day do day management of their schools. They will understand how Student based Peer Mediation, Restitution and Restorative circles proact school climate, prevent problems from escalating, and solve incidents that have already occurred. Attendees will also learn how to used values based literature in the Circle format to sensitize students to key issues. Finally, they will learn to present moral dilemmas in a circle to provoke understanding of school issues and of life.
Restorative Practices for Institutional Discipline, Complaints and Grievance Systems
(80 min.)		 Terry O'Connell, Real Justice Australia, Springwood, NSW, Australia This workshop will provide a practical insight into how restorative practices, when located within a values (relational) framework, can be integrated into existing formal institutional complaints and discipline systems with great effect. Traditionally, institutional complaints and discipline issues have been difficult to resolve. By emphasising the importance of 'fair process', it can be shown that where attention is given to the importance of good process, positive outcomes are possible.
Restorative Practices in Schools - A Normative Approach: Connecting Values to Practice
(80 min.)		 Terry O'Connell, Real Justice Australia, Springwood, NSW, Australia This workshop examines how restorative practices can shift our preoccupaton with problematic behaviours, towards one which focuses upon ways of promoting healthier ones. This allows behavioural issues to be viewed as opportunities for insight, learning and development. Workshop praticipants will gain a very practical insight into how a normative approach can be implemented within schools because of its intuitive appeal to teachers, students and families.
Restorative Practices in the Workplace
(80 min.)		 Bob Costello, International Institute for Restorative Practices, Bethlehem, PA

Terry O'Connell, Real Justice Australia, Springwood, NSW, Australia		 The greatest barrier to effective communication is the failure to establish a shared understanding on what has happened. The limitation of an adversarial approach is its preoccupation with blame and sanctions. As many workplace issues involve ambiguity, making it impossible to identify who is responsible, this workshop explores how restorative practices can be effective in dealing with these tensions and improving workplace relationships.
Running the Hurdles Within the Circle Process
(80 min.)		 Terry Anfinson, Anishinabe Opport. Industrial. Center, Onamia, MN

Ramon A. Serrano, Anishinabe Opport. Industrial. Center, Onamia, MN		 In this workshop you will benefit from the experience of two early sentencing circles. You will hear real-life examples of the obstacles faced by these circles, from both external and internal sources. You will hear stories and examples of what circles are and how they are to interact with the systems, including service providers. You will become aware of the cycles of development that circles pass through and what leads to failure. You will be informed on the empowerment of communities, victims and offenders. Hopefully you will be able to develop strategies for the longevity of your circle.
Survival: Sustaining Restorative Practices After the Passion Cools
(80 min.)		 David Hines, Woodbury Police Department, Woodbury, MN One of the great problems in restorative practices has been the lack of sustainability of programs over time. Many begin; few survive for very long. Lack of funds, burnout, and the person who started and carried the program has left, are all too commonly attributed to programs and practices dying out. We must prove sustainability to move beyond being viewed as a novelty. Join a discussion circle dedicated to brainstorming solutions to this common problem and moving restorative practices from the edges to the center of our world.
Teaching and Learning in Circle
(80 min.)		 Greg Lewis, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

Roselba Stocco, Seven Generations, Ospringe, ON, Canada		 Deep learning impacts the mind, the body, the emotions and the spirit. It involves introduction, trust-building and preparation, exploration of issues, and moving towards action. Deep learning moves a person, through creative tension toward harmony and balance. Deep learning moves people from debate to shared vision. Focus shifts from positions to interests. Teaching and learning in Circle does all of this. It is student-centered education that calls out critical thinking skills and higher thought processes. This workshop will take place “in circle” with an input piece and sharing. For the past year Greg Lewis has taught high school and college (Cambridge College) in a circle format. He has also trained and facilitated training at ROCA Inc, where he serves on the Development Team for the Peacemaking Planning Committee.
The Circle of Opposites
(80 min.)		 Wendy Stewart, Seven Generations, Ospringe, ON, Canada This presentation will share ways that Aboriginal youth can relate easier to their dominant linear world. By using the Alternatives to Violence Project as a base and placing it within the world view of the medicine wheel teachings, participants explore their relationship with violence/non-violence, in a relational/linear way. Both worlds are shared with symbols and art, which are the ancient symbols of expression for native people. By understanding the lines and circles of their world the “circle of opposites” helps native youth discern the differences between their traditional teachings and the urban non-native world in which they must live.
The Indigenization of Mediation
(80 min.)		 Gene Ouellette, Battlefords Tribal Council, North Battleford, SK, Canada The re-introduction of resolving conflict has made somewhat of a full circle. The circle process was a tradional way of resolving conflict in traditional societies and continues to be beneficial in this day and age. Healing, sharing, talking, sentencing, re-integation, are all various labels that we give these processes which has been a traditional way of life. Come hear to an individual that has experienced facilitating all of these processes.
There Are No mistakes, Just New Discoveries, Family Group Decision Making Where Domino's Doesn't Deliver
(80 min.)		 Kris Miner, Pierce County Human Services, Ellsworth, WI Pierce County Human Services serves children and families in rural western Wisconsin. The department has successfully implemented Restorative Practices. This presentation will highlight the process that led to a successful Family Group Decision Making program. Those attending this session will get specific ideas for developing similar programs. The challenges that face programs in rural areas will be presented. Proven strategies to implement the Family Group Decision Making philosophies within rural settings and with limited resources will be highlighted. This session will also feature a family that will talk about the process that they experienced. This session will guide attendees through the program development process, as well as demonstrate the outcomes that can be achieved through Restorative Practices.
Affect and Script: Building Blocks of Community
(80 min.)		 Susan Leigh Deppe, Psychiatrist, Colchester, VT This presentation will focus on a powerful paradigm for understanding emotion, behavior, and relationships. Tomkins postulated nine innate affects, biological programs triggered by the intensity and shape of neural stimulation, displayed on the face and felt in the body. Two of the affects are inherently rewarding, one is neutral, and six are punishing. Affects are amplifiers; they make us aware of things and motivate us. We go through life having affects triggered, and other things become bad or good by being linked to them. Further, stimulus-affect-response sequences are frequent or powerful, we develop an emotional reaction to them. We make "rules" for managing such families of scenes, called scripts. Most of adult life is managed by scripts, largely outside of awareness. Scripts explain the variety of human behaviors, and help us understand the context of family, neighborhood, and culture. An overview of innate affect and script development will be followed by a look at Nathanson’s compass of shame, four script libraries by which we all manage that difficult affect. Tomkins’s blueprint for emotional health will explain why family group conferencing works. This workshop should be useful for participants in any work setting. Teaching methods: Lecture with slides, clinical vignettes, conference videotape and handouts; Q and A session.
Using Peacemaking Circles in Family Violence: Hopes and Cautions
(80 min.)		 Kay Pranis, Minnesota Department of Corrections, St. Paul, MN

Judy Brown, Family Violence Network, Lake Elmo, MN

Kay Longtin, Cottage Grove Peacekeeping Circles, Cottage Grove, MN		 This session will explore the potential risks and benefits of using the peacemaking circle process to work with victims and offenders to address issues of family violence. Experienced advocates will share what they have learned in a pilot project initiated by a domestic violence agency in Cottage Grove, MN. The distinct challenges of family violence cases will be discussed along with limitations of the circle process. Presenters and participants will work to identify special practice requirements related to the use of this process in cases of family violence.
Volunteers - How to Get Them, How to Keep Them
(80 min.)		 Stephanie Haider, Dakota County Community Corrections, Apple Valley, MN This is an interactive workshop for anyone starting or currently engaged in a restorative justice program that utilizes volunteers. The workshop will provide strategies for recruitment, screening, selection, training, and maintaining volunteers as well as practical and useful program resources.
When Words Seem Too Thin - Restorative Measures Using Dialogue and Body Wisdom Techniques
(80 min.)		 Tamara Menteer, Whitestone Fountation, Olalla, WA Sexual transgression allows harm to burrow deep. This workshop explores how communites can effecively broach deeply felt harms through dialogic processes. Participants learn of "radical hospitality" dialogue and practice techniques. The experience of such dialogue groups using sex offenders, victims, and community members wil be shared. When words become "too thin," however, such processes may seem superficial. The impact of deep harm often moves beyond words. By exploring body intellect, participants will learn how movement can transcend the limitations of words. Our bodies offer healing where words are not enough. Movement can generate healing that is communal, non-threatening, transformational, and (surprisingly) fun!
  Session Title Presenters Session Summary
A First Survey on Victim-offender Mediation in Italy
(40 min.)		 Anna Mestitz, Italian National Research Council, Bologna, Italy This paper presents some preliminary findings of the first survey on the 9 victim-offender mediation services currently operating in Italy. Data were collected by means of two different questionnaires, one addressed to mediators and one to the mediation service directors. Information deals with the following aspects of the mediation services: work flow, organisation and funding, physical lay-out and technologies, mediation practice and its theoretical framework, training of mediators and their work satisfaction. Results show that only a minority of mediation services currently function as completely independent organisations; instead, the majority of services are directly connected with the juvenile courts.
African Transformative Justice System: Developing an Effective Justice Model Using Victim-Offender Mediation Saib Feyisetan, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action, Onipanu, Lagos, Nigeria The presenters has worked with an organization in Nigeria committed to changing the face of the criminal justice system in the Western African coast from the present retributive justice system to transformative justice. The countries chosen for the pilot scheme are Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia. The presenter will situate the project within the traditional African justice system and the ideals of restorative justice.
A New Reality for Offenders
(40 min.)		 Steven E. Thomas, Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Fox Lake, WI Accountability becomes the basis for healing and restoration of a fabric that has been torn and worn thin, by philosophies of “lock them up,” but 99 percent will be released back to the community. How will they be sewn back into the fabric? In this session you will see and hear practices that replace punitive and adversarial relationships and heal offenders in prison, through victim impact, peace circles, mediation and community, that restore the warp and woof and integrates the offender into the very fabric of community. Chaplain Thomas explores through video and discussion what works in institutions.
An Evaluation of Restorative Practices in a School for Troubled Youth
(40 min.)		 Paul McCold, International Institute for Restorative Practices, Bethlehem, PA This session will report on a 3-year evaluation of the use of a restorative practices milieu in the Community Service Foundation schools in southeastern Pennsylvania. The schools provide counseling, education and residential services to troubled and delinquent youth. The evaluation looks at the effects of restorative practices on student attitudes, family bonding and re-offending.
An Evaluation of the Thames Valley Police Initiative in Restorative Cautioning
(40 min.)		 Richard Young, Oxford University, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
Mel Lofty, Thames Valley Police, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, UK

David Bowes, Thames Valley Police, Kidlington, Oxfordshire, UK		 The Centre for Criminological Research at Oxford University has recently completed a three-year study of restorative cautioning, as practised by Thames Valley Police in the United Kingdom. The study has taken the form of “action-research,” whereby the research team undertook an initial investigation into cautioning practice, before reporting back to the police and making a number of recommendations aimed at improving cautioning technique, which were implemented prior to the full evaluation. This presentation will set out the findings of the study and will give an opportunity to the research subjects to set out their response to the findings.
Back to the Roots of Restorative Justice: Restorative Justice on a Reservation
(40 min.)		 Terry Anfinson, Anishinabe Opport. Industrial. Center, Onamia, MN

Phil Galeoto, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Onamia, MN		 The restorative justice techniques of circle sentencing and family group conferencing are derived from practices of indigenous peoples. We have engaged these two practices in conjunctio