RESTORATIVE JUSTICE COMMUNITY ACTION

YOUTH PROGRAM-COMMUNITY CONFERENCING AND CIRCLES: RJCA CREATES A FORUM IN WHICH PEOPLE IMPACTED BY CRIME/HARM IN COMMUNITY AND MEET WITH THOSE WHO ARE HARMED BY THESE BEHAVIORS TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT AND DETERMINE RESTITUTION. IT IS THROUGH THESE COMMUNITY FORUMS THAT RJCA ACHIEVES ITS PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSING HARMFUL BEHAVIORS AND HELPS PREVENT FURTHER CRIMINAL LEGAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT AND STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY WELL-BEING. IN FY24 WE CLOSED 118 COMMUNITY CONFERENCE CASES. OF THE 95 ENROLLED YOUTH, 87 (91.5%) ATTENDED A CONFERENCE WHO WERE ENROLLED, AND 81 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE PROGRAM (85.3% SUCCESS RATE). REFERRED PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 54 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND GAVE 48 APOLOGIES IN COMMUNITIES THAT WERE AFFECTED. THEY ALSO COMPLETED 365 HOURS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS WORKING WITH A TUTOR, CREATING A GRADUATION PLAN, ATTENDING ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES OR WRITING REFLECTION ESSAYS. IN FY24, 31 VOLUNTEERS COMPLETED 80 COMMUNITY MEMBER PARTICIPATIONS AND 26 TRAINED VOLUNTEER FACILITATIONS (MSW INTERNS). ALONG WITH THE REFERRED YOUTH, 71 FAMILY MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS MET FACE- TO-FACE WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT THE CONFERENCES HELD. (FAMILY MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS ARE COUNTED DURING YEAR OF CONFERENCE. CASES ARE EVALUATED WHEN CLOSED DURING FY 24). IN FY24, THE YOUTH RESTORATIVE JUSTICE DISPOSITION PROGRAM SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED 13 CASES OF 24 ENROLLED (54%). 15 COMMUNITY CIRCLE KEEPERS AND 5 STAFF PERSONS HELD 121 CIRCLES WITH YOUTH AND THEIR SUPPORT SYSTEM, INCLUDING FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, MENTORS AND ASSIGNED PO. IN FY24, WE HAD OUR 2ND RESTORATIVE PRACTICES YOUTH LEADERSHIP COHORT WITH 10 YOUTH FROM AROUND THE TWIN CITIES DEVELOP RESTORATIVE PRACTICE AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND HAD 2 ALUMNI WHO RETURNED AS FELLOWS. THE PROGRAM INCLUDES A 4-DAY RESTORATIVE CIRCLE WORKSHOP IN AUGUST WITH 9 MONTHS OF MENTORING AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. YOUTH PRACTICE CIRCLE MONTHLY AND LEARN FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS ON SUBJECTS AROUND TRAUMA AND RESILIENCE, THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM, AND OTHER SUBJECTS IDENTIFIED BY YOUTH.

ADULT PROGRAMCOMMUNITY CONFERENCING AND CIRCLES: RJCA CREATES A FORUM IN WHICH PEOPLE IMPACTED BY CRIME/HARM IN COMMUNITY AND MEET WITH THOSE WHO ARE HARMED BY THESE BEHAVIORS TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT AND DETERMINE RESTITUTION. IT IS THROUGH THESE COMMUNITY FORUMS THAT RJCA ACHIEVES ITS PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSING HARMFUL BEHAVIORS AND HELPS PREVENT FURTHER CRIMINAL LEGAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT AND STRENGTHENS COMMUNITY WELL-BEING. THROUGH OUR PROGRAMMING, RJCA PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY CONNECTION AND SHARED PROBLEM SOLVING BY ADDRESSING THE INCIDENTS, THEIR CONTEXT, AND THE PERSONS REFERRED. AS REFERRED PARTICIPANTS (OFFENDERS) RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT OF THEIR BEHAVIOR, THEY RECEIVE SUPPORT AND OFTEN CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY IN POSITIVE WAYS WE CONTINUE TO BUILD AFTER THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC ISOLATION. WE ARE EVALUATING FROM CLOSED CASES IN FY24. OF THOSE CASES, 141 ADULT OFFENDERS ENROLLED IN RJCA PROGRAMMING, A 34.3% INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR. OF 118 ENROLLED CONFERENCED CASES, 114 WERE CONFERENCED (93.8% ATTENDANCE RATE), AND 107 CASES (90.7%) WERE SUCCESSFULLY CLOSED. REFERRED PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED 213 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, GAVE 95 APOLOGY/GRATITUDE LETTERS, AND DONATED 3 BAGS/ITEMS OF IN-KIND DONATIONS IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WERE AFFECTED. THEY ALSO COMPLETED 371 HOURS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES: 40 ACTIVITIES THAT WERE FOCUSED ON CONNECTION TO COMMUNITY; 41 ACTIVITIES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING; 12 ACTIVITIES ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT; AND, 32 ACTIVITIES TOWARD EDUCATION . THIS YEAR, 193 COMMUNITY MEMBER PARTICIPATIONS BY 54 VOLUNTEERS WHO MET PRIMARILY ON ZOOM WITH RJCA STAFF FACILITATORS. THESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS PROVIDED 567 HOURS OF VOLUNTEER TIME. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR OF PROVIDING COMMUNITY CIRCLES OF SUPPORT AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ADULTS ON SUPERVISED PROBATION IN HENNEPIN COUNTY. THE PROCESS IS TO ESTABLISH A SENSE OF TRUST AND BELONGING FOR THE PARTICIPANT TO DEVELOP ACTION STEPS TOWARD THEIR GOALS OF MOVING OFF OF PROBATION. IN FY24, 2 CIRCLE KEEPERS (RJCA STAFF) CONVENED 17 CIRCLE SESSIONS FOR 5 DIFFERENT REFERRED PARTICIPANTS WITH 2 ASSIGNED COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOR EACH. THERE WERE 12 UNIQUE COMMUNITY MEMBERS PROVIDING 107 HOURS OF TIME WITH REFERRED PARTICIPANTS IN IN CIRCLE.