BrattleboroCitizensBreakfast

October16,2015
GibsonAikenCenter

RestorativeJustice

Community ... is made from

conflict as much as from
cooperation; the capacity to
resolve conflict is what gives social relations their sinew."
DavidCayley,
TheExpandingPrison
1998(quotingNilsChristie,"ConflictsasProperty,"1977)

DarahKehnemuyi,ExecutiveDirector

8022518142
VideoLink

director@brattleborocjc.org
http://www.brattleborocjc.org/

DarahKehnemuyi,alawyerwith35yearsasatrialattorney,mostlyasapublicdefender,has
hadbroadexperiencewithhumanity.MovingtoBrattleborofromMaryland10yearsago,he
beganvolunteeringattheBrattleboroCommunityJusticeCenter(BCJC).Hewasinterestedin
mediationworkashehadstartedacommunitymediationprograminMarylandandthought
somethingsimilarmightbepossibleinBrattleboro.Overtheyearschangesoccurred.Programs
becamedirectlytiedtofundingfromtheVTDepartmentofCorrections(DoC)andstategrants
fromtheFederal
SecondChanceAct
(2007).

Recently,therehavebeendiscussionsthattoomanypeopleareincarcerated.InVermontthere
havebeeneffortstoreturntothestatethosewhohavebeencontractedtoservetheir
sentencesinoutofstateprisons,makingroominthisstatebydischargingotherswhoshould
bereleased.

DarahvolunteeredwithaReparativePanelandaCircleofSupportandAccountability(CoSA).
TheReparativePanelsdifferfromthecriminogenicsystemofretributivejusticeinthatthey
recognizethatcrimesrendthefabricofsocietyandthemainjobathandishowtofixthat.

AnoffenderisreferredtoaReparativePanelbythecourt,thepoliceorStateAttorneyand
meetswiththispanelofciviliansforaperiodoffourmonthsworkingtoanswerthesamefour
questions:
whowasharmedbytheoffense?
howwasthatperson(s)affected?
howcanthatbefixedormaderight?
howcanthisbepreventedfromhappeningagaininthefuture?
Thediscussionontheseissuesresultsinanagreementwiththeoffenderoutliningconcrete
stepstobetaken.Thisresultsinsomecreativesolutions.Darahrecalledoneinwhichayoung
manarrestedfortrespasschanneledhisenergyintolocalpoliticalactivity.Inpastyearswhen

moreDUIcaseswerereferredtopanels,arideshareprogramwasanoutcometoaddressthe
lackofpublictransportationafterthebarsclose.
Sometimes,avictimattendsthepanel.Whenreferralsfromcourtoccurredsometimesayearor
moreafterthecriminalcasewassettled,victimswouldnotattendbecausetheyhadmovedon
withtheirlivesandwerenotinterestedinrevisitingtheoffense.Now,duetomoredirect
referrals,thereismorecontactwiththepersonsharmedtheyareinvitedtobepartofthe
reparativeprocessiftheywishto.

TherehasbeenconsolidationofcommunityjusticecentersattheStatelevelthroughthe
CommunityJusticeNetworkofVermont
(CJNV).Brattleborowas
one
ofthefirstcommunity
justicecentersintheStatethereweresomefourtoeightcentersinexistenceatthattime.Now
thereare20.TheExecutiveDirectoroftheCJNV[
JohannesWheeldon
]isaprofessorfrom
NorwichUniversity.Theeffectsofthisconsolidationmaybegoodtoacertainextent,whilenot
ignoringgrassrootsissues.Reppanelsareallmadeupofpeoplefromthelocalcommunity.

Therewerebetween4448reppanelsheldlastyear.TalksareongoingwiththePolice
DepartmentandtheStatesAttorneytoincreasethenumberofdirectreferrals.TheChiefof
Policehasaskedaboutcommunitymediation:dealingwithneighborhooddisputeswiththehope
thatlongtermanimositycanberesolvedortransformed.

ThefederalSecondChanceActfundingsupportstheCoSAprogramwhichismoreintensivein
thattheCirclemeetswithpersonreleasedfromprison,thecoremember,onceaweek.Last
yeartherewereseventonineCoSAsoperating.JimCecereistheReintegrationSpecialistat
theBCJC.Heisgreat.Hehasexperiencenavigatingsystems,hashelpedreturningprisoners
getgovernmentissuedIDs,accessVeteransandSSIdisabilitybenefits,andregaindriving
privileges.TheCoSAsalsohelpthecorememberwithtransitioningtoindependentliving.
Nationalstatisticsshowreductionsinrecidivismduetotheeffectivenessoftheseprograms.

Darahwouldliketoseemoremediationandcommunitymediationthereisaneedfortrainingin
thisarea.TheWindhamWindsorHousingTrusthasexpressedaninterestedintenanttotenant
mediation.

Speakingfrompersonalexperience,Darahstatedthatinmediation,thedifficultthingtodoisto
listen,reallylistendeeply,totheparties.That'swhentransformationhappens.Ifthemediator
canreflectwhatthepartiesaresaying,thatis,practicereflectivelistening,eventuallythepeople
participatingcandoit.Perhaps,bythethirdsession,themediatorcanstepoutofthe
conversationandletthepartiesfindawaybetweenthemselvestoresolvetheconflict.
Ultimatelythehopeisthatthepartieshavelearnedskillsthatcarryoveroutsidetheformal
mediationsessions.

SummaryofQuestionandAnswerSession:

BCJChashadandcontinuestohaveconnectionswiththeRestorativeJusticeProgramatthe
highschool(BUHS)theCoordinator
MichaelH.Szostak
wasformerlyemployedatBCJC.
Darahwelcomedtheideaofconnectionwiththe
ContactprogramatSIT
.

Anotherideaforaconnectionwasthepeertopeer
RJprogram
thatGreenStreetSchool
PrincipalMarkSpenoisbringingtogether.

TheBCJCservesthegreaterBrattleboroareatherearejusticecentersin
BellowsFalls
and
Springfield
.Currently,thereareabout40volunteers,with30involvedinreparativepanelsand
eightinCoSAs.Volunteerswouldbeexpectedtoreceivethreefourhourtrainingsessionsto
participateineitherprogramoneoftheCoSAtrainingsisadaylongprogram.Muchofthe
trainingdealswithhowtobeagoodlistener.

ThebottleneckoncorrectionalreleasesaffectsthenumberofCoSAsandthatproblemisthe
difficultyinfindinghousingforanyone,letalonehousingthatsatisfiestheDepartmentof
Corrections(DoC)rulesastowhatconstituteappropriatehousingforaparticularreleasee.The
BCJCcouldhandlemoreCoSAsifDoCreleasedmoreprisoners.

Darahrecommendedthe
October15PBSNewshour
program[@22.05.Theprogram
continuedon
October16
@20.23.]

Oneattendeerelatedapositiveoutcomefromevenanunsuccessfulattemptataneighborhood
mediation.

CoSAsnotonlyhelpcoremembersmaterially,buthelpthemwalkthroughstuffsuchas
relationshipsorlackofrelationshipshowtoapproachonesparoleofficerfamilyreintegration
andhelpinginotherwaythroughoffsitemeetings.

AccountabilitytothecommunityisanintegralpartoftheCoSAsthebywordisnomore
victims.

MediaReferences:

"Newjusticecenterdirectortakeshelm,"
ChrisMays,
BrattleboroReformer
,September25,
2015

"Fromvolunteertodirector,"
OlgaPeters,
TheCommons,
October7,2015

AlsoRelated:

HowshouldVermontdealwithhabitualoffenders?
WCAX,October23,2015