Whereas "retributive justice" attempts to figure out who is to blame and how to punish, "restorative justice" aims to restore what was torn in the social fabric, to repair relationships and set things on a better course for the future. Inspired by ancient approaches to justice among a variety of native cultures, restorative justice is proving to be transformational in the modern world where it is used. It is useful in schools, communities, and other places, as well as in criminal/civil justice settings.
Dominic Barter has developed a form of restorative justice called "Restorative Circles" which is inspired by the principles of Nonviolent Communication. While any restorative justice system is likely to have advantages over the alternatives, the hope is that the insights of NVC may make this particular approach even more restorative. Barter developed Restorative Circles in Brazil. They are widely used there, and interest in applying them in other parts of the world has been growing. Dominic will be offering a number of trainings in North America this coming year, as are listed below. For the Restorative Circles web site, and to register for trainings, see http://www.restorativecircles.org/
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, USA
Dominic Barter is returning to Seattle, Washington for two Restorative Circle events. This will be his only west coast trip in North America in 2010.
An Introduction to Restorative Systems
Sat and Sun, May 22-23, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Mon, Tues & Wed, May 24 – 26, 2010ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, USA
An Introduction to Restorative Systems
Sat and Sun, September 11 - 12, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Mon, Tues & Wed, September 13-15, 2010ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA
An Overview of Restorative Systems
Thursday, Oct 28, 2010Restorative Circle Facilitator Practice
Friday – Sunday, Oct 29 – 31, 2010
Note that, although Dominic himself will not be there, his style of Restorative Circles will also be taught at the New York Intensive Residential Training in NVC, July 31 - August 7, in Geneva, NY.
We would like to acknowledge that in the US, Maryland is a leader in restorative justice, typically referring to it as "Community Conferencing." The pioneering nonprofit Community Conferencing Center founded by Dr. Lauren Abramson is located in Baltimore. And many counties in Maryland, including Montgomery and Prince Georges counties have Community Conferencing programs available to the public for dispute resolution. (We are not familiar with restorative justice programs in DC or Virginia. If you know of any, please let us know.)
We encourage you to support and utilize these existing restorative justice programs. At the same time, we believe Dominic Barter's Restorative Circles add beneficial refinements to prior restorative justice processes, and we encourage you to consider his trainings.