How It Works

A Thoughtful Process Designed Around Safety, Accountability, and Respect

Every restorative process is unique because every person and every situation is unique.

Whether you're participating through the criminal legal system, a school referral, or a community conflict, our trained facilitators guide participants through a structured process that prioritizes preparation, voluntary participation, and meaningful dialogue.

Unlike court proceedings or disciplinary meetings, restorative practices create space for people to understand the impact of harm, ask important questions, take accountability, and work together toward repair.

Our Guiding Principles

Every restorative process is built on these core principles.

✔ Voluntary Participation

No one is required to participate. Every participant chooses whether they would like to engage in the restorative process.

✔ Respect

Every person deserves to be treated with dignity, regardless of their role in the situation.

✔ Accountability

Accountability means more than admitting something happened—it means understanding the impact of our actions and taking meaningful steps to repair harm whenever possible.

✔ Preparation

We never bring people together without preparation. Every participant meets privately with a trained facilitator beforehand to discuss concerns, review and answer the questions that will be asked in the restorative process, and readiness.

✔ Safety

Emotional and physical safety guide every decision throughout the restorative process.

The Restorative Process

Step 1: Referral

Every restorative process begins with a referral.

Referrals may come from:

Criminal legal system partners
Schools
Individuals or families
Community organizations
Faith communities
Employers
Other partner agencies

Once a referral is received, our team contacts everyone involved to determine whether restorative practices are an appropriate fit.

Step 2: Individual Preparation Meetings

Preparation is one of the most important parts of the process.

Each participant meets individually with a trained facilitator before any joint meeting takes place.

During these conversations we:

Learn each person's perspective
Discuss what happened
Explore the impact of the situation
Identify hopes and concerns
Answer questions
Explain the restorative process
Determine whether everyone is ready to move forward

Preparation helps ensure participants feel informed, supported, and emotionally prepared.

Step 3: Is a Restorative Justice Conference the Right Fit?

Not every referral moves to an RJ conference.

After preparation, our facilitators carefully assess whether bringing participants together is appropriate.

Some referrals may pause because:

Someone chooses not to participate.
Additional preparation is needed.
The timing isn't right.
Another approach would better meet the participants' needs.

Respecting participants' readiness is a critical component of our work.

Step 4: Restorative Justice Conference

If everyone chooses to move forward, participants meet in a facilitated restorative conference.

During the conference, participants have an opportunity to:

Share their experiences
Describe how they were affected
Ask questions
Listen to one another
Better understand the impact of the harm
Identify what accountability looks like
Discuss ways to repair harm
Explore how to move forward

Our facilitators guide the conversation throughout the entire process to ensure everyone has an opportunity to participate respectfully.

Step 5: Agreements & Follow-Up

Many conferences conclude with a written agreement developed by the participants themselves.

Agreements are unique to each situation and may include commitments such as:

Repairing financial harm
Restitution (when appropriate)
Therapy
Personal goals
Family commitments
Other actions meaningful to those involved

Our team follows up with participants to support successful completion of the agreement whenever applicable. If this is a criminal case, once the agreements are completed, then the case is deemed successful and a Certificate of Completion is emailed to the attorneys or probation officer assigned to the case.