Restorative Justice Initiative
Restorative Justice Initiative (RJI) is a citywide, multi-sector organizing and advocacy project seeking to increase the visibility of, and access to, restorative justice processes for all New Yorkers.
Restorative justice is a theory of justice that can be employed both re-actively, in response to conflict and/or crime, and proactively to strengthen community by fostering communication and empathy. Restorative Justice invites everyone impacted by a conflict and/or crime to develop a shared understanding of both the root causes and the effects. Restorative Justice seeks to address the needs of those who have been harmed, while encouraging those who have caused harm to take responsibility. Restorative Justice has a range of applications within communities, schools, and the justice system. It may also be used to address mass social conflict and/or injustice.
RJI was built based on the recognition by local restorative justice practitioners and supporters that New York is not currently—but can and should be—a leader in the field. Restorative justice offers a viable, evidence-based alternative to our punitive/retributive approaches to criminal justice and school discipline and it ought to be a key component of the city’s reform agenda. But its acceptance cannot happen without increased public awareness of the benefits such programs can bring to entire communities. Restorative Justice Initiative is playing a key role in building this awareness.
RJI is fulfilling its mission in several ways: We are building a network of local restorative justice practitioners and supporters in order to foster more collaboration and to build an effective coalition in support of policy change in the city and beyond. We regularly distribute resources to our network via email and social media and we organize and host events that serve to raise public awareness of restorative justice and to bring practitioners from across the city together to learn about each other's work. Thus we serve as both a networking hub and an information clearinghouse.
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
