By Kelley Kepler
Catholic Herald

New crime program focuses on healing victims

SUPERIOR -- Victims of crime in Douglas County now have new opportunities to deal with the harm caused by crime, thanks to a new program launched by the Douglas County Restorative Justice Initiative.

Restorative justice is an innovative approach to the criminal justice system. It focuses on healing and reconciliation, rather than retribution or revenge, and provides opportunities for community members and those most affected by a crime to discuss the impact of the crime, address the harm that has been caused and make plans for reparations.

"The process is completely voluntary, victim centered and initiated, offering an opportunity for victims to meet face to face with offenders in a safe, structured environment with trained facilitators," said Alison Godfrey, the program's coordinator.

The initiative is a collaboration of the Douglas County District Attorney's Office and the University of Wisconsin-Superior criminal justice and legal studies programs, which received a grant in January to pay for Godfrey's position.

Godfrey, a member of St. William Parish in Pattison Park, graduated from UW-Superior with a major in legal studies and a mediation minor. She envisions a program that promotes healing among crime victims and "allows offenders to see how their actions hurt not only the victim but the community as well. It gives a human face to the crime."

She explained that the program will offer three types of restorative justice dialogues in Douglas County:

* Victim-offender dialogues: With help from a trained facilitator, victims are able to meet with offenders to speak one-on-one about the crime and its impact, answer lingering questions and develop a plan for the offender to repair the harm caused.

* Conferencing: People most affected by the crime -- the victim, offender, interested professionals, and the family, friends and supporters of both -- meet for a facilitated group discussion about the impact of the crime and how to best repair the harm.

* Circles: Peacemaking circles involve the victim, offender, the family and friends of both, and other interested community members. They talk about the crime and discuss its impact and consequences on the community as a whole.

Though there are a few cases in the works, Godfrey said the individuals involved have yet to meet with the offenders. However, the program is ready for this next step. There are about 25 volunteer facilitators who have gone through extensive training at UW-Superior. They are ready to work with the victims and offenders and to create a safe environment in which dialogue can take place.

Also instrumental in DCRJI is Dan Blank, the Douglas County District Attorney and co-founder of the initiative. In a press release about the program he said, "I am excited about offering new options to victims that will move beyond our current victim rights laws. We want victim satisfaction and healing through prosecution. We hope to affect the minds and hearts of the offenders in order to stop their antisocial behavior. Times are changing and we need to be smart in our response to crime."

In 1999, the Wisconsin Catholic bishops prepared a statement on crime and punishment in which they supported the concept of restorative justice because it is consistent with Catholic thought and the Gospel message.

John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, said that restorative justice fosters building and healing, as opposed to just punishment. "Restoration is about both sides of the relationship. The biggest benefit of restorative justice is that it can help you genuinely heal," he said.

"It requires that the perpetrator take ownership of the crime and accept responsibility for his or her actions. In the act of accepting that responsibility, the perpetrator may be prompted to try to repair the damage caused and attempt to restore the broken relationships," Huebscher explained.

He continued, "You can punish a person and send him to prison and feel good about it for a while because you have a sense that the person is paying for the crime. But in a few years, that person may come out of jail as angry and as broken as when he came in. Restorative justice helps us do better than that. It brings a sense of closure to the victim and offers a more permanent healing than something that's only about retribution."

However, Huebscher said, it would be a mistake to view restorative justice as a replacement to punishment. "Punishment needs to be part of it, but this is a different approach that provides accountability in a different way."

Godfrey explained that prior to holding dialogues between victims and offenders, the moderators will speak with both parties to examine expectations and motivations and assess whether the meeting will be safe and conducive to healing on both sides. "The last thing we want is revictimization," she said.

The program currently faces a challenge in that the offender's participation is voluntary. Godfrey explained that while ideally the offenders would be internally motivated to participate, there are few external incentives for them to meet with victims.

However, even if the victims and offenders don't get to meet face to face, Godfrey thinks it still might be helpful for victims to tell their stories or share them with victims of the same crime. "If the offender doesn't want to participate, we can still help the victim by offering a circle of community members to meet and talk about the crime," she said.

In addition, she said, DCRJI also hopes to add victim impact panels to the restorative justice program. These panels would allow crime victims to speak to groups of offenders about a crime. Though they are not the direct victims of the crimes the offenders have committed, they would speak to the offenders about the overall impact crime has caused in their lives.

Anyone who has been a victim of crime in Douglas County is eligible to participate in this free program.

Editor's Note: For more information or to obtain program materials contact Alison Godfrey, Douglas County Restorative Justice Initiative, Center for Transforming the Law, 2231 Catlin Ave., Box 31, Hawkes Hall, UW-Superior, Superior, WI 54880, 715-394-8402, dcrji@lycos.com.

< Local Archives

© Superior Catholic Herald, 2003