Sgt. Wilkins

Our Dynamic L.Y.F.E Program

 

Implementing for Our Dynamic L.Y.F.E Program in schools and households using (Restorative Justice)

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Restorative justice builds on many features of community help—including working in partnership and problem solving.

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How can this be accomplished? You need these:

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• Bring the parties together. Instead of keeping the parties involved in the problem separated, think about how people can be brought together in a safe environment.

       o Talk about the impact of a problem and about its consequences for both the victim and the offender

       o Engage affected parties in a process that encourages collaboration and problem-solving

 

• Safe environment. A safe environment means thinking about the right timing for such a meeting, preparing the participants who have been identified as having a stake, being clear about the purpose of the meeting, and ensuring that everyone is invited in a voluntary capacity.

      o The location of the meeting should be a neutral place.

      o  An environment that feels safe and at an appropriate time; sometimes this might be a few days after an incident or problem. In other cases, it could be months later.

 

• Focus on harms. The focus of the meeting is on identifying the harms:

      o Restoring the Family(s)—emotionally, materially, and relationally

      o Encouraging the Parent(s) to take active responsibility to repair the harm

      o Identifying resources in the community to support both the Child and Parents

      o Taking steps to prevent further problems

 

• Several steps. The process involves several steps. Typically such dialogues take about an hour and a half, including introductions and allowing all parties to express how they feel, to ask questions of each other about what they would like to do to address identified needs and to work out agreed outcomes. The emphasis is on listening, learning from one another, allowing time for everyone to express themselves and working out what would best serve everyone’s interests. Focus on identifying and addressing people’s interests and needs.

 

• Skilled facilitator. The meeting requires a skilled facilitator (SGT WILKINS TEAM) who explains the process and the ground rules, provides the parties an opportunity to speak openly about the perceived problem(s) and the full impact; to receive answers to questions they might have; and to follow up on insights as to how best the harm can be repaired. The dialogue should be facilitated to enable parties to maintain focus.

 

• Respectful dialogue. The meeting should be conducted with a respectful dialogue about the perceived problem(s) and with the purpose of promoting cooperative problem solving by the participants, including the offender(s). It should not be an adversarial process, even though people who attend my feel like adversaries. Show respect for all parties who attend at all times.

 

Dealing constructively with problems requires the participation of those people, with a stake in the offense, to work out what should be done by giving equal attention to the needs and interests of victims, offenders and the community. Restorative justice promotes an inclusiveness approach to the problem and to harm identification and repair. No one person is seen as having all the necessary information nor all the answers.

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