Home - NACRJ - National Association of Community and Restorative Justice

NACRJ Law and Policy Working Group - Update

Details: Legislative News

The NACRJ Law and Policy Working Group is recruiting a team of legislators and advocates to participate in a national conference call to discuss strategic issues and moving forward with legislative advisement and advocacy. Contact Dr. Sandra Pavelka at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in participating in this important dialogue.

NACRJ is also showcasing good examples of Restorative Justice Legislation in three key areas: Juvenile Justice, Adult/Criminal Justice, and Educational Settings/Schools.^[i]

Vermont Law School Lands National RJ Center

Details: Announcements

This spring the Vermont Law School (VLS) was awarded a $3-million federal grant to create and host the National Center on Restorative Justice.

VLS will be coordinating new efforts for RJ educational opportunities and research initiatives that will help shape and move forward restorative practices in both criminal justice systems and educational institutions throughout the United States. Senator Patrick Leahy, long-time champion of justice reform, was instrumental in helping to secure the funding.

The National Center on Restorative Justice will be comprised of a partnership between three academic institutions. Vermont Law School is the only law school in the nation to offer a master’s degree in RJ as a stand-alone degree or in conjunction with a law degree. University of Vermont brings research expertise and an established program of educating incarcerated individuals. University of San Diego provides geographical diversity and extensive experience in delivering national RJ trainings and curriculum design.

Restorative Responses to COVID-19

Details: In the News

It is often the case that large-scale crises reveal the best of humanity as people show up to provide support for each other. Hot meals, a listening ear, a smile...all these and more convey messages of comfort, belonging, and social connection. Yet, the current COVID-19 crisis is requiring a different kind of response, stretching our comfort zones of what it means to be in community and in ‘right relationship’ with one another.

How might restorative practitioners encourage activities within families and communities? How do we invite people into spaces of connection and belonging? What kind of restorative practices could be utilized to invite neighborhoods to create safe and responsible ways to check in with one another? Read more about how restorative practioners can practice greater responsiblity in the midst of our current social crisis, especially as it impacts marginalized and low-income populations disproportionately.

This article by Ames Stenson created a platform for two virtual community circles coordinated by NACRJ in April. Over 60 people participated in these meetings which allowed everyone, in facilitated breakout groups, to give supports to each other and also to share ideas for adapting RJ practitioner work online. Thanks to all of you who participated! We hope to do more of the same.

Publication of Colorizing Restorative Justice

Details: Announcements

Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing Our Realities is now published and available from Living Justice Press. This anthology, with 18 chapters, engages issues of colonialization, racism, and systemic harm within the restorative justice movement.

CRJ FINAL.WEB From the introduction by editor Edward C. Valandra: “The twenty authors of color in this book raise unsettling issues about restorative justice...as situated in white supremacist settler societies that sustain deep roots in European invasion and colonizing. The contradiction between restorative practices and the Western, white supremacist, settler societies in which we practice them is inherent. We People of Color and Indigenous Peoples have not created the contradiction. It is there. But we collectively experience this contradiction in ways Whites do not. We feel an urgency about addressing this contradiction that our White settler colleagues seem not to perceive or express. We also feel an urgency about critically informing communities of color and Indigenous communities that this contradiction, while not of our making or choosing, is one we negotiate in restorative justice.”

In this book, older voices join with new voices. “It is my hope that (these voices) land on ears willing to hear their wisdom that will enrich and perhaps even transform the RJ journey, even when the wisdom is uncomfortable.” - Harley Eagle

Colorizing Restorative Justice: Voicing Our Relaties is now available from Living Justice Press, bookstores and other outlets.

San Francisco DA Opens Doors for Victims

Details: Victim Supports

San Francisco’s newest District Attorney, Chesa Boudin, is promoting restorative justice options for all victims of crime. "I want to give every victim of every crime in San Francisco the right to participate in restorative justice if they choose to," he said. "It's going to take time, and it's going to take work, and we're going to have to see how many victims want to engage in the process. Some won't, but this is about putting victims first."

As reported in a 5-minute NPR feature on All Things Considered, Boudin's reformist views were shaped by his personal story. Like more than half of all Americans, he has an immediate family member behind bars. "Years now, decades, of visiting my parents behind bars taught me hard lessons about how...devoid of compassion [the criminal justice system] is. It's not healing the harm that victims experience. It's not rehabilitating people. And in many ways, it's making us less safe."