Interviews

Student Advocates: What is Peer Jury; … the 3 RJ Principles?

A Peer Jury is … a group of students who attend the school …who serve on a committee to look over disputes or problems that arise at the school …. There are three principles

Student Advocates: Peer Jury Training

The main thing we focused on was actually having conversations – you can practice theory all you want… we emphasized mock cases and engaged in roll playing…and (worked) to create a safe environment.

Student Advocates: Building Relationships

Restorative justice is about relationships …it's all about interacting with the students … building relationships, before things occur.

Student Advocates: Repairing Broken Relationships

All relationships are like a spider's web … all those little strings are the relationships that we have. You break a number of those treads and the web (the relationship) seems to come apart. …We repaired every single web and every single string.

Amir Abdullah is currently attending Bowdoin College, a great liberal arts college in Brunswick, ME, currently pursuing a double major in Mathematics and Economics as well as a minor in Teaching. After graduation he intends on pursuing a PhD in Economics with the desire to establish a career as a teacher or professor. Amir strongly believes that the way we speak, behave, and live shapes the environment that we create for not only ourselves, but for the people around us. This is the reason Amir has incorporated of restorative justice in his daily life: it is fundamental in building an understanding, just, and peaceful world.
Amir was introduced to RJ Practices through Chicago Alternatives.

Contact:
Bowdoin College
1 Smith Union
Brunswick, ME 04011

aabdulla@bowdoin.edu
amir_06@sbcglobal.net

Accountability: Hate Crime Ends with an Excellent Outcome

We created …an Accountability Circle the victim was able to come with members of the community, the young people came with their parents. The victim was able to talk about why those words were so hurtful and why they had an impact on her.

Understanding and Communication: Relationship Building with Kids

One of the fundamental Practices of Restorative Justice Practices is "relationship building"… What's happening in so many communities is "fractured relationships"…adults need to … be planting seeds that will grow-up in them.

Kathleen Bankhead grew up in Harvey, Illinois where she attended the local public schools including Thornton Township High School. Graduating from Bradley University in 1980, she attended law school at Chicago Kent College of Law. Kathy joined the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in June 1990 and was promoted to Supervisor in the Juvenile Justice Bureau in February 2003. In December 2004 the State's Attorney, Richard A. Devine appointed her as Chief of the Juvenile Justice Bureau after former Chief, Cathy Ryan left the Office to become the Executive Director of Maryville. The Juvenile Justice Bureau is comprised of almost 90 lawyers who prosecute child protection and juvenile justice, sometimes called delinquency, cases.

Kathy currently lives in Markham, Illinois; teaches Sunday School and facilitates youth Church at J. Claude Allen CME Church in Dixmoor where she has been a member for over 45 years. She is a Big Sister in the Big Brother/Big Sister Program and has one son, Nicholas, who is in college.

Contact:
312-433-4832

School Board: Genesis of RJ in Chicago Schools

We (Chicago Board of Education) aggressively pushed Peer Jury in 2003. Prior to then, community leaders and Principles got together on their own. … It wasn't until 2006 that the Board…caught up with the school district ... and formally adopted a policy… of Restorative Justice.

School Board: Board Adopts RJ as Policy

2006 the Board (Chicago Public Schools) formally adopted…Restorative Justice Policies. That year at our annual legal conference we provided a forum for our Principles to be introduced to Restorative Justice...

School Board: Principles Praise RJ Practices

(At the 2006 CPS Annual Legal Conference) Those Principles who were already familiar … and implementing Restorative Justice Practices in their schools … talked about how great…valuable .. and wanted to increase the availability within their own schools.

School Board: RJ Formal Policy a Collaborative Effort

We started to work about two years before we got to that product (the New Discipline Code with RJ Policies) …Hours, countless meetings, countless discussions … and controversy. …What we came up with was a document that we thought considered all the views and the various perspectives. … The Board (CPS) formally adopted that document (spring-2008) …

School Board: RJ used in Conjunction with Traditional Practices

We also challenge people to think outside the box… This (RJ) can be used in conjunction with traditional practices. … We have those instances when there is no alternative than to remove that student from the classroom for a period of time. But when the student returns - or even before they return – that's a Restorative Justice Practices opportunity.

Contact:
Chicago Public Schools
jlbebley@cps.k12.il.us

20 Violent HS Girl

Twenty (girls) involved, in violence … they're going to come back with the same baggage… Why don't we do a "Reentry Circle"? … We talked about hurt, and what did you need when you were hurt? By the time we were done, they had no idea of why they were mad at each other.

Prep Work and the Process of "Reentry Circles"

Prep work: you have to sit down with the young people, to get them to understand and the have to agree; because if they don't agree to participate it isn't restorative. We explained that we wanted to talk with them about what had happened so it wouldn't happen again. So we …(put them through the process of Reentry.)

Edith L. Crigler has served in a variety of Human Service and Community Based Organizations in Chicago for over 20 years. Ms. Crigler is continues to function as an advocate for youth focusing on juvenile justice delinquency prevention and intervention. Ms Crigler's goal is to empower youth, their families and individuals who have been historically disenfranchised. Ms. Crigler is currently the Associate Executive Director at the Chicago Area Project.

Ms. Crigler has been an advocate for victims of domestic violence and all people of color, with special emphasis for the rights and protection of women and children. She has designed and conducted workshops focused on low-income issues for human service professionals and law enforcement professionals, i.e. police and public defenders. She has served as a paralegal and policy specialist for Metropolitan Family Services, where she reviewed systemic problems in the community, Ms. Crigler, has analyzed policy targeted towards the disenfranchised and poor of Chicago and throughout Illinois. She has a strong expertise in translating bureaucratic language into user friendly language.

Ms. Crigler was the first and only Director of the African American Caucus for the Family Resource Coalition of America (FRCA). At FRCA, she coordinated, supervised and directed all projects focused on African American family issues, including publications, policy analysis, consulting and training. Ms. Crigler also identified collected and maintained resources on African American families and family support programs.

Ms. Crigler has served on several Boards of local not-for-profit organizations, whose mission is to assist and empower low income and disenfranchised citizens of Chicago and Illinois. Ms. Edith L. Crigler holds a BA in Political Science from Roosevelt University; a Para Legal Certificate from Roosevelt University; and an MA degree in Administration and Social Policy from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. Ms. Crigler also has been certified as a Balance and Restorative Justice trainer and is an instructor for Chicago State University where she teaches an Introduction to Restorative Justice Class.

Ms. Crigler is currently a member in the following:

President of the Chicago Jobs Council's Board of Directors.
Youth as Possibilities Chicago Board of Directors;
Co-Chair Juvenile Detention Alternatives to Incarceration's Disproportionate Minority Contact Sub Committee;
Englewood Disproportionate Minority Contact Advisory Committee;
South East Chicago Anti Gang Initiative;
City Wide Restorative Justice Committee;
Chicago Public Schools Peer Jury Advisory Committee;
Cook County Restorative Justice Collective
National Association of Social Workers.

Contact:
Cell: 773-758-0192
edith40@ameritech.net

School Board: RJ Gets to the Core of Issues

When students are acting out, when there are issues; that is almost always a cry for help…. (We chose to) stop dealing with the symptoms; start dealing with the cause. Restorative Justice is an extraordinary tool to help us do that.

School Board: Board Adopts RJ as Policy

We've doubled the number of schools using Peer Juries. The Board (Chicago Public Schools) has adopted this as our formal policy. … We have great principles … our goal is to give them the tools to be successful with their students.

School Board: Making a Difference in Students Lives

(Students) …have to graduate; putting them out in the street basically condemns them to social failure. Our strategy as a management team is to give our schools the support, the opportunities and the strategies to really make a difference in our students' lives.

School Board: RJ Expanding Exponentially

We have a lot of principles who are seeing this (RJ Practice) make a difference in their school community… This gives us the opportunity to dramatically impact students lives. …. This thing is growing exponentially …. We're seeing the dividends already.

School Board: Replicate What is Working

So many of the great ideas for the system don't come from us (The Board of Education). What we've tried to do is to listen to teachers and principles to see what is working. (Restorative Justice Practice) … is something that had a grassroots, ground up genesis.

Arne Duncan graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1987, majoring in sociology. He was co-captain of Harvard's basketball team and was named a first team Academic All-American. From 1987-1991, Mr. Duncan played professional basketball in Australia, where he also worked with children who were wards of the state.

Duncan returned to Chicago in 1992 to direct the Ariel Education Initiative, which seeks to create outstanding educational opportunities for inner-city children on the City's South Side. In 1998, he joined the Chicago Public Schools.

In June, 2001, Mayor Richard M. Daley named Duncan Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public Schools. Before moving to Washington, DC where he currently serves as the United States Secretary of Education, Sec. Duncan had served on the Boards of the Ariel Education Initiative, Chicago Cares, The Children's Center, the Golden Apple Foundation, the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, Jobs for America's Graduates, Junior Achievement, the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Foundation, Renaissance Schools Fund, Scholarship Chicago and the South Side YMCA.

He also serves on the Board of Overseers for Harvard College and the Visiting Committees for Harvard University's Graduate School of Education and the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. He was a fellow in the Leadership Greater Chicago's class of 1995, and a member of the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellowship Program, Class of 2002. He has received honorary degrees from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Lake Forest College and National Louis University.

In 2006, the City Club of Chicago named Duncan Citizen of the Year.
In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Arne Duncan as the United States Secretary of Education.

(CPS, circa 2007)

Contact:
www.cps.k12.il.us

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): Probation Orientation Program

We noticed that kids who have come through these program… have a less chance of violating their probation….

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): Youth Turned Their Lives Around

…going through the probation process really taught me how to mature myself, by going to class, staying on my studies… I went to the Juvenile Advisory Council as an interview program. … (and now) …I help kids better their probation.

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): Youth Serving Other Youth

I think it goes better – it works better - with us doing this process. …We want (the kids on probation) to know that we are really listening to what they have to say… we are going to meet their needs ...offer as many programs as we have available for them.

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): The Summarizing of Information is Inclusive

We will ask them question … then bring all this information into 'The Summary'. In this way they know we have listened and they know we understand.

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): JAC Motivates Members Toward a Positive Future

Being with Juvenile Advisory Council is helping me to build relationships. … giving presentations … doing this Talk Show .. is helping me with my speaking. It makes me feel more positive about myself…helping people makes me feel happy.

Contact:
Steve Eismen
Deputy Chief Probation Officer
312-433-4465

Activists / Advocates: Community Panels for Youth

The Children …instead of going to court they come through this program … and the community helps to make the decision as to what their punishment will be.

Activists / Advocates: The Peace Circle Process

I took a box; it had a candle in it, I set it in the center of the table … You will only talk when you have this piece in your hand…. They did … I was sold …I said this is the only way to go.

Activists / Advocates: Children Speak of Their Pain

We went in and they (the children) talked about all the killings they had witnessed … children are very honest … very open … they will let you know what is going on.

Lillian Hardaway-Hampton, PhD, long time resident of North Lawndale, currently employed at John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County for over 29 years; former Certified Institutional Review Board Manager (IRB) at (JHSH) Dr. Hampton is the Region 3 community representative for the Local School Council, President of PUREXPOSURE INC, (a Youth Mentoring Program), IMACHI Mentor for Children of Incarcerated Parents, Associated Director of North Lawndale Juvenile Justice Collaborative, and trained as a Restorative Justice Practitioner, facilitating Peace Making Circles, Conflict Resolution, Community Panels for Youth in North Lawndale.

She is trained in Youth Violence Prevention. She has also volunteered in elementary schools in North Lawndale to implement restorative justice practices. Dr. Hampton earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from Roosevelt University, and her Master and PhD Degrees in Health, Laws and Policy from Loyola University School of Law. Lillian is an active member of the United Baptist Church. She is a youth Sunday School teacher. She works with the Health and Wellness Ministry and the Disciple Fellowship Ministry. She has received awards from Today's Chicago Woman, Unsung Heroine Award, and Friends of the Park Award.

Contact:
773-339-5477
773-277-1967

Definitions / Explanation: What is Restorative Justice?

There is another Philosophy for dealing with justice, it's called Restorative Justice. What is Restorative Justice?

Juvenile Support Center: Making Support Services a Reality

How have you [through the "Juvenile Intervention and Support Center" (JISC)] developed these partnerships that helped you to make these services a reality…

Juvenile Support Center: Bringing Youth through A Support System

Give us a feeling – an example - of how this works to help a particular youth coming through [the "Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (JISC)].

Juvenile Court: Collaborative Work Creates Change

The Juvenile Court has really benefited …having the States Attorney, Juvenile Probation and Public Defender - and judges - on one stage symbolizes some of the collaborative work done at Juvenile Court.

Definitions / Explanation: Restorative Justice / Relationship Building

You need to identify the stake holders …have conversations … then create a response that is positive for all that is involved. Restorative Justice adds value to the collaboration process…

Juvenile Court: Community Service is Transformative

… by using community service …using restitution adds value…to learn something new, to do something positive and have appreciation…

Schools: CPS Code of Conduct RJ as an Option

The Chicago Public Schools Uniform Code of Conduct… This changes to the heart of the relationship … and they (Chicago Public Schools) talk about Restorative Justice Practice as an option rather than expulsion.

Definitions / Explanation: Three Steps: The Restorative Justice Process

There is a book explaining restorative justice practices "The Little Book of Restorative Justice", by Robert Zehr … and he explains these three elements, the first is….

Judge Sophia H. Hall is the Administrative Presiding Judge of the Resource Section of the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Department of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Judge Hall is charged with creating initiatives to facilitate the court and community collaborating to better serve children and families within the Juvenile Court's jurisdiction. Judge Hall is also assigned to the Chancery Division where she hears, among others, cases seeking equitable relief, corporate and partnership cases, and class actions.

Judge Hall was elected a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1980. She served in the Criminal Division for four years, and thereafter in the Chancery Division for five years. Both assignments made her the first woman in 20 years to serve in either division. When assigned as the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Division in 1992, she was the first woman ever to serve as the Presiding Judge of any Division or District of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Judge Hall was appointed by President William J. Clinton to the Board of the State Justice Institute and confirmed by the United States Senate April 3, 1998 for a three year term, and continues in that position. She is a member of the Board of the National Judicial College. Judge Hall is past Chair of the National Conference of State Trial Judges of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, and past President of the National Association of Women Judges, and of the Illinois Judges Association. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts.

Among Judge Hall's publications are "Examining New Paradigms to Address the Complexities of Family and Juvenile Cases," a Chapter in The Improvement of the Administration of Justice, 7th Edition, 2001 published by the American Bar Association. She also authored articles on "Interlocutory Injunctions" and "Declaratory Judgments" published in the Chicago Bar Association Record.

Judge Hall received her Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Wisconsin.

Contact:
Judge Sophia H Hall
2301 Richard J. Daley Center
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 603-3733
FAX (312) 603-5576
E-Mail: sohall@cookcountygov.com

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): The Peer Council

(In Peer Council) … Why is this boy or girl making bad decisions'? We help the kid try to realize, 'what was the harm' … (and that) they can fix it …. We come up with An Action Plan (to) try to repair (the harm)….

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): Youth Who Have Turned Their Lives Around

I was on probation ...got referred to the (Juvenile Advisory Council) program…. Ever since I've been here I have liked it…. After I finish my school, I want to go to college in primary nursing like my mother did. …After that… I want to start publishing my poems ….

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): The Training Process

We went through training for …close to a month. … We did little exercises…, put ourselves into these situations. After we mastered it; we started doing it (on our own).

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): Probation Orientation, Kids Training Kids

(Kids) are looking for answers …for us to be able to answer them …it is a connection. …We get a lot of good feed back… (because) we aren't trying to preach to them."

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): What it Means to be on the Council

I'm from Englewood; all I know is the coroner… the block and not doing nothing. I want to expand my horizons. When I'm (in the council) I am surrounded by people who want do something with their lives and want to help kids not make the same mistakes. This is my success to life.

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): RJ Practices Helped Future Outlook

I am doing it the Restorative Justice way: we're trying to fix things. …When you are helping somebody, you haven't got time to be negative…

Contact:
Steve Eismen
Deputy Chief Probation Officer
312-433-4465

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): Youth Turn Their Lives Around

I'm enrolled in college… taking business and financing classes …I went to the Juvenile Advisory Council as an interview program. …I learned about the program… (and now) …I help kids better their probation.

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): The Training Process

The training was good for me. (I learned all about) 'Open-ended Questions' … so the kids could open-up to us more, talking to us more…give us more feed back.

Probation Juvenile Advisory Council (JAC): Motivating and Helping Kids

There just kids and that motivates me to want to help…keep them moving in the right direction. I say to them, '…If basketball is something you want to do, stay in school.' I get motivated just to help them.

Contact:
Steve Eismen
Deputy Chief Probation Officer
312-433-4465

Schools: From Violence to Laughter and Cooperation

While Edith was conducting the (Re-entry) Circle with the students … I heard all this laughter from the room, from young ladies who had been fighting for years. … (Later) …these young ladies were walking around the school saying, "We want to be the peacemakers of the school". We have not had an issue from these young ladies since then … and these were not followers these were leaders ….

Schools: Creating / Staffing a Peace Room at the School

We are creating a peace room right now and the vision is … a sacred place in the building to resolve disputes.

Schools: CPS Code of Conduct RJ as an Option

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Uniform Code of Conduct: Instead of being punitive, our language has changed with the students. … We ask different questions: …'Who did you harm by breaking this rule? What do you think needs to happen in order to make this better?'

Schools: Investing Time in RJ Practices

I'd rather spend time on the beginning than at the tail-end. Study after study show that detention does not work; it is the path to the criminal system. The results last much longer than punitive practices.

Ms. Lemon was a 2003 LAUNCH Fellow (Leadership Academy and Urban Network for Chicago), highly skilled and trained in the principles of effective leadership. Her evolution in education and training began at her alma mater, Rich Township High School. She was recruited after high school graduation to work as an instructional assistant at the school. At this juncture, she knew unconditionally, that education would be her life's work. Earning multiple degrees in Psychology, Education and Administrative Leadership, Jacquelyn Lemon is firmly established on her path to help educate our youth.

Prior to becoming principal at CTDHS, she served as a teacher at Mary C. Terrell Elementary School, Walter H. Dyett Middle School and assistant principal at Steinmetz Academic Center. During her tenure as Contract Principal of Walter H. Dyett High School, she guided staff and school community in the reshaping of the instructional focus of the school as it transitioned and evolved into a high school.

She has participated in the Principal's Partnership at Harvard University and is recruited often as a presenter at various educational conferences. She is active in many community organizations such as Network for College Success with the University of Chicago and the Principals Advisory Committee with CEO Arne Duncan's Office in addition to mentoring and training new and aspiring principals.

Contact:
jlemon@chicagotalentdevelopmenths.org
(773) 535-8650 (message center)
(773) 535-8096 (fax)

Voluntary Intervention Program: Creating a Safety Net

In our program [the Juvenile Intervention and Support Center (JISC)] the case management program is voluntary; the family elects – ops - to go into case management rather than the court system.

Developing Partnerships (JIS): Multiple Agencies Working Together

The J.I.S.C. is the only organization that I know of in the state that has City Agency's, the CPD, Chicago Child and Youth Services, Chicago Public Schools, the Mayors Office working together with Illinois Dept of Human Services and county court …and juvenile … services all working together …

Juvenile Support Center: Reconnecting Youth to Communities

Instead of funneling kids through the courts and through the police stations, we want to reconnect them into their own communities…

Christopher Mallette works for the City of Chicago in the Mayor's Office as the Director of Community Safety Initiatives. This position was designed to focus upon ex-offender reentry initiatives, youth violence prevention and juvenile justice. Mr. Mallette currently sits on several city, county and state task forces and committees designed to address juvenile justice, youthful offenders and victims, and ex-offenders. Prior to assuming this role in the Mayor's Office, Mr. Mallette served as the Executive Director of Chicago's Juvenile Intervention Support Center.

Mr. Mallette has also served the City of Chicago as an Assistant Corporation Counsel; the Faith Community of St. Sabina as General Counsel, Executive Director of the youth center and Athletic Director, and the Chicago Public Schools, as a Cluster Coordinator for the Office of Academic Enhancement. Mr. Mallette is a Princeton University graduate and received his Law Degree from the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Law. Christopher and his wife Kendall have four children.

Contact:
christopher.mallette@cityofchicago.org
312-747-3934

Juvenile Support Center: What is the function of Juvenile Intervention Center?

1) Provide and integrated case management system for kids.
2) Cut down on placing kids into detention, and place them into programs in the community.
3) Make it much easier for the police officers when they are processing kids to have a place to drop them off and do that in a way that is sufficient and quick so they can get back out on the street and protect citizens.

Juvenile Support Center: Restorative Rather than Punitive

Juvenile detention is the gateway to incarceration. You want to avoid sending kids into the juvenile detention center… and do it in such a way that it is restorative rather than punitive.

Azim Ramelize, most recently a senior attorney in Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice, has worked as an assistant state attorney, a public defender, and solo practitioner. He has served as a member of the Florida Bar's Commission on the Legal Needs of Children and its Commission on Fairness in the Juvenile Justice System. These multiple perspectives enable Azim to seek sensible placements that balance the state's work requirements that balance the state's requirements for justice and safety with the needs of youth, their families, and the community.

Azim also has a great deal of personal empathy for the young people he sees in the juvenile justice system. Growing up in New York City, he was a member of a youth gang called the Jolly Stompers. Despite his early struggles, he graduated from the Borough of Manhattan Community College, got a B.S. at the Cornell University School of Industrial Labor Relations, and eventually earned a J.D. at the Loyola University School of Law in Chicago.

His life lessons inform his understanding of both the opportunities and challenges of our current system. "Juvenile justice," he says, "is a place we can make a difference in young people's lives. You can catch a kid when you still have an opportunity to mold him." Unfortunately, he says, while many professionals care, too many of the public systems entrusted with helping kids are failing these young people and need to be reformed.

Contact:
aramelize@cityofchicago.org

Case Reduction: Significant Reduction in Juvenile Detention

(Through Restorative Justice Practices) we have reduced the institutionalization of our children by about 50% … Chicago is viewed as the national detention reform model.

Victim Impact Panel: Victim Personalizes Offense

The Victim Impact Panel can be effective and cathartic …having a great impact on there feeling of safety and security. It is the responsibility for our kids to go through this panel and we have found that the kids are responsive – quiet and attentive.

Contact:
312-433-6575
mrohan@cookcountygov.com

Schools: Making a Difference with Restorative Justice

I saw a lot a behavioral problems, a lot of violence …I wanted to make a difference.

Restorative Justice Gives Kids a Voice

Restorative justice helps to give students a voice … (With the) … administration it's basically cut and dry… you do this… you get this punishment. (Yet) …there is always an underlying reason for misbehavior, which wasn't being addressed.

Why I Wanted Restorative Justice in Our Community

I worked this whole year on Restorative Justice … I've seen how successful it was working in Chicago and I wanted to bring it into Evanston. …right now things are good: Peer Jury is in Evanston Township High School.

Rosie Sharp is a graduate of Evanston Township High School, where she worked on a Restorative Justice project through the Senior Studies program. The project was aimed at sharing knowledge of Restorative Justice in the community and integrating a Peer Jury Program into the discipline policy of the high school. She is currently a sophomore at Northeastern University studying Business with a concentration in Entrepreneurship, and will also be pursuing a certificate in Social Entrepreneurship. Rosie is currently a member of the Evanston Restorative Justice Committee, and she hopes to incorporate the Restorative Justice philosophy and practices into her future career.

Contact:
Ssharp52x@aol.com

Schools: Relationship Building

Relationship building … before we can even get into community building… things have to be done… so they can trust... to know that people are listening to their needs.

Schools: Building Trust

(It doesn't take a long time to build the trust): … its all about the connection, when connections are broken it is difficult to reconnect unless there is a bridge: that's what Circles are about – connections. (Various Peace) Circles (are) a mechanism to move you from the conflict and the harm to the healing.

Schools: Parents Setup Successful Peace Room

A great group of parents helped to set up a Peace Room … the main goal is to reduce the reliance upon suspensions, expulsions and arrests. … They've had some great successes so much that they were able to get some funding from the States Attorneys Office.

Schools: Training is Available

The training is out there, as part of our collaboration efforts, through our City-Wide Restorative Justice Collaborative that we have; through the Resource Section of the Juvenile Court … there are resources out there now how to connect it to the schools.

Robert Andre' Spicer Sr. is a former teacher with eight years of experience in the Cabrini Green community, Robert provides training throughout Chicago and Illinois on community engagement and restorative justice practices in schools. He has trained Chicago Public School administrators, teachers and staff in peace-making circles, and conducted circles to resolve conflicts at a number of CPS and alternative schools. Robert is the recipient of the "35 under 35" leadership award given by the Community Renewal Society for outstanding achievement in the field of poverty and race in Chicago.

Community Justice for Youth Institute (CJYI) provides training to communities, juvenile justice practitioners and educators across the city in restorative justice practices, including peacemaking circles and victim-offender conferencing.

CJYI works to de-escalate violence in schools and communities by training parents, teachers, youth, church folks, youth workers, and others in restorative justice practices that bring victims and offenders, rival gang members, police and community members together to work out conflict in a peaceful and restorative way.

As nationally recognized experts in restorative justice, CJYI has provided training and technical support to organizations that are doing crucial work in their communities.

Contact:
312-842-5345
rspicer@yahoo.com

Skeptic to Advocate

I thought it (Restorative Justice Practices) will never work… I (did) not believe in the concept... it was La-Di-Dah…. My final class was at the Juvenile home … I walked out a changed woman.

Taking Action

We had a Peace-Making Circle …after some very bad gang violence … we brought the parents in…soon …we needed to form a committee because it is blossoming all over the city (Evanston).

Money / Volunteerism

No one that I have met have even spoken about money, they go out for the grants …everyone that I have worked with do it from their heart.

Money: Community and Mentoring

Money? … I think the community needs to take responsibility… not only financially… I am a business owner …also … children need to be mentored too … the community needs to step-up.

"The Restorative Justice Committee is a grassroots organization dedicated to giving citizens, especially youth, an opportunity to understand the impact of their actions on both their own lives and the larger community, and subsequently giving them more ownership over the consequences of these actions. This impact - thus our interest as an organization - extends into the legal system, the home, the school community and the city streets. Through community outreach, educational programs, and conflict resolutions practices, we aim to give youth a voice, to provide community members a place for discourse, and to work together to find peaceful and nonviolent solutions to keep our community safe."

Contact:
www.restorativejusticeevanston.com
sgarciat2@aol.com
224-715-3965

Peer Jury:

…a student may have participated in some behavior – on school premises – and is referred to a Peer Jury. They can then take an active roll on the Peer Jury and help in building the Peer Jury system within the school.

Community Service: Pay-Back System Transformative

We've added to the community service a Pay-Back System. While the minors who are working through the community service of the probation department … they are earning hours that will translate into actual dollars to help repay some of the victims.

Linda Uttal is the chief of the Juvenile Justice Division of the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender. Prior to her current positions, she was an attorney supervisor in the Juvenile Justice Division. She has also been a trial attorney in the Felony Trial Division and Juvenile Divisions of Cook County Public Defender's Office. Ms. Uttal has taught Juvenile Justice and Psychology and Northwestern University and has lectured on topics including detention hearings, girls in the juvenile system, 40 years since In Re Gault, gangs and guns, and basic skills in criminal law. She also practiced law in Roanoke, Virginia, and was an assistant prosecuting attorney in Wayne County, Michigan.

Contact:
312-433-4206