I caught a cold! A real, honest-to-goodness, sneezy, sniffy head cold. I’m sleeping in today. Which is a bit bad, considering how much work/study I have piled up here, all of it due on Monday. I think I will write a blog entry instead!

You want to see Restorative Justice in action? Here we go:

Last week I attended a ceremony that was held by the Northern Areas Community and Youth Services as part of the Classic Automobile North/South Youth Training program. The ceremony involved firstly presenting two victims of auto crime with a car that had been restored by young people between the ages of 14-18, all of whom had been involved auto crime. These kids - there was one girl too! - had worked on these cars, donated somehow by the public, in the process of learning about auto repair and maintenance. After the initial presentation of the two cars to the victims, the kids then also received certificates for each of the modules they had completed, or their final Certificate 1 Auto. This qualifies them to work in any auto repair or manufacturing business. While on the program they also receive life skills training, resume writing training and other supports are available. Some get jobs and leave before they complete the whole course, some drop out, but for the time that any young person has been involved with the program there is a zero re-offending rate. The volunteers, young people and program staff were all there and interested in talking to the members of the public who attended, who included the Commissioner for Victims Rights, two police officers including the Policewoman of the Year, several Mayors and MPs, Dept. Director of Families SA, Acting Manager of Connect (from Families SA), and far more people that there were chairs available for.

Im pretty sure they did not expect so many people, but there was lots of food! The kids were all really shy but proud of themselves and willing to talk about what they had been doing and what the day was about. It was a very restorative ceremony in that it brought so many people together and demonstrated to the kids and the victims that they are each part of a community that cares about them. The process of learning skills provides activity, peers, mentors, a source of self esteem and an avenue to work and productivity. Being given a car for free, to replace the one that was damaged or stolen previously, that represents the offenders changed direction, that is also significant to the victims, gives them a way of a way of talking about the shame of being victimised, and goes some way towards restoring them to their previous economic level.

I thought it was pretty neat alltogether.

• arumanda said on 07/05/27 at 10:09 PM.....

  thats all so very rewarding. what a great process that youre part of. 

  i hope you feel better soon.

• felix (new york) said on 07/05/31 at 11:48 PM.....

  That is a really neat concept - certainly brings more closure to victims of crime, and gives the young ones a chance for a very immediate and tangible sort of redemption.

  The fact that the community came to the “official” ceremony was key.  Without this element, the process would become impersonal and, in my opinion, fail to give gravity to the good intentions of the program.

• j-ster (at the library - i should be studying) said on 07/06/06 at 06:52 PM.....

  It is indeed a neat concept - and im hooked! And yes, it is absolutely neccessary that the community is involved. Restorative processes cant function without the community. The whole point fo restoration is that the individual is accepted back into the community.

  Actually, Mr. Felix, I see you are in New York - You have your own restorative stuff happening there too…. have you heard of the Center for Court Innovation, and the Red Hook Community Justice Center? Interesting stuff! More here: http://www.courtinnovation.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Page.viewPage/pageId/572

• felix (new york) said on 07/06/19 at 11:44 AM.....

  Actually, I had no idea that Red Hook had a community justice center.  This is great stuff.

  Red Hook has some neat things happening - among these, a concerted effort to promote “urban agriculture.”  Food sources and food safety, and, well, food, are one of my passions, and the fact that they are trying to foster a sense of community through these initiatives are very heartening.  Here’s one such program springing up in Red Hook:
  http://www.added-value.org/

  
  Added to this, our little family is actually moving to downtown Brooklyn soon, a little hop away from the Red Hook waterfront.