Category Archives: Tip of the Week

Effective, even alone, co-keep a Restorative Justice Circle.

An element of an effective Restorative Justice Circle is engaging each and every person in the power of the Circle.  This can be a difficult group process management skill.  Lucky for Circlekeepers, the Circle itself brings that.  In essence you

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Filed under Belonging, Circle Keeping, Circle Stages, Kris Miner, personal growth, Practitioner Skills, Relationships, Restorative Justice, Teaching RJ, Tip of the Week

Facilitating Restorative Justice loss of life, embraces the essence of the loved one.

Please note, this blog topic, facilitating Restorative Justice in a situation of a fatality, is not intended to promote practitioners stepping beyond their own skill set and training.  Mark Umbriet’s week-long course, a masters in counseling and additional trainings in grief, trauma and

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Filed under Community, Conferencing, Full Circle Experiences, Kris Miner, offenders, personal growth, Practitioner Skills, Restorative Justice, Tip of the Week, Victims

Caution and blessing, Restorative Justice Circles can quickly create a culture.

When Kay Pranis and Jennifer Ball came to visit SCVRJP, they met with a few of our volunteers and stayed for a Controlled Substance Intervention Circle.  I realized that SCVRJP has developed a culture of Circles.  As we spoke about

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Filed under Circle Keeping, Circle Process, Circle Stages, College Circles, Community, Practitioner Skills, Responses from participants, Restorative Justice, SCVRJP, Teaching RJ, Tip of the Week, Victims, Volunteers

4 Tips for Restorative Justice programs, skills with victims and addressing domestic violence.

My first experience in the helping profession was as a volunteer in a domestic violence shelter.  I would stay weekends when my daughter was a baby.  I did other evening shifts, helped around the office and became very close with

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Filed under offenders, Practitioner Skills, Relationships, Tip of the Week, Victims

“Justice, as many definitions as victims”. – PBS Elusive Justice

Ran across this photo on Facebook, and the story below.  Before posting in my blog, a quick google search and I discovered Ms. Cathey, the widow pictured, was also pregnant.  I’m sharing the story, will explain below. The night before

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Filed under Belonging, Peace, personal growth, Practitioner Skills, Relationships, storytelling, Tip of the Week

Restorative Justice, 3 C’s for increasing belonging.

Belonging.  Right there in the middle of Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs, Restorative Justice helps people recognize where it is, rebuild it where it was torn or repair it where it was damaged.  Restorative Justice, experienced from the perspective of victim, offender, community member

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Filed under Belonging, Circle Keeping, Community, Conferencing, offenders, Peace, Practitioner Skills, Relationships, Restorative Justice, Tip of the Week, Victims

Restorative Justice, criminology of self or other, a lesson from the process.

To encourage understanding of our work, and to do what I teach, SCVRJP staff meetings include a reading, a reflection and a check-in. I teach, that agencies or schools that use Circles or Restorative Justice, should parellel the process within the

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Filed under Circle Process, Community, Full Circle Experiences, Meeting Goals, non-profit management, personal growth, Research, Restorative Justice, RJ Resources, SCVRJP, Tip of the Week

In Life and in Restorative Justice, shame is a gift; feeling and friendship lead to healing.

A good night’s rest really helps me out.  I’ve got one of those monkey minds.  A “monkey mind” is a Buddist term, rather than staying in the present moment, my thoughts leap from one to another as a monkey leaps from tree

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Filed under Belonging, Full Circle Experiences, Kris Miner, personal growth, Practitioner Skills, Relationships, Restorative Justice, storytelling, Teaching RJ, Tip of the Week

School-based Restorative Justice Circles – handouts and example demonstration.

  In a school gym, we placed the Circle Center items in the basketball center court.  Four student volunteers each had a direction, and at each direction 3 months of the year were designated and students divided themselves based on

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Filed under Circle Keeping, Circle Process, Circle Stages, Responses from participants, Restorative Justice in Schools, Teaching RJ, Tip of the Week

Remembering what is important, science vs storytelling OR consilience.

I recently forgot what was important.  Values are important to me.  I take advisement from research (or as Capella would have it, I am a critical thinker).  I try to live my life in balance, in positive relationships.  I get

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Filed under Blogging, Kris Miner, Meeting Goals, non-profit management, personal growth, Practitioner Skills, Relationships, Research, storytelling, Tip of the Week