Our Restorative Services
What Participants Say About Our Services
💬 What has changed as a result of participating in this conference?
"That you can be yourself without shame. I would recommend this program to families with life trauma."
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“There was a sense of resolution and both parties were heard.”
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“The thing that has changed is our perspective on how to handle and regulate situations and emotions.”
“I believe our community got stronger and we cleared up some misconceptions.”
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“It helped our family communicate together about what happened. It allowed [the responsible party] to hear from everyone how serious it was.”
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“Accepting the support I didn't feel I deserved.”
💬 What feedback do you have for the facilitators?
"That they really did a great job at helping us get how we feel out in a healthy way."
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“The facilitators were very professional and listened to everyone's needs and gave very good summarizations of what we spoke on.”
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“They were knowledgeable, kind, patient, and empathetic.”
“The facilitators did an amazing job at reflecting large stories.”
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“The one-on-one was so helpful.”
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“They were very helpful and professional.”
💬 If someone was interested in RJ, based on your experience, what would you tell them?
“I think that it is so important for victims to be able to safely share how incidents impact them and that they are heard.”
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"It is helpful and would recommend, facilitators worked with our schedules."
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“Do it! It’s scary but you’ll feel better after.”
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“Try it — be open and honest.”
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“Call Connection First! The process was helpful and hopeful and that many needs for connection and healing.”
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“It’s the best way for understanding and solution in my opinion.”
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We offer two distinct restorative approaches to address harm and promote healing
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1. Restorative Justice (RJ)
For criminal legal system cases in Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit (Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, and Wakulla counties)
RJ is a structured, voluntary, and facilitated process that brings together those responsible for harm and those impacted to promote accountability, healing, and meaningful repair. These services are free and available through referrals from attorneys, judges, system partners.
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2. Restorative Dialogue
For interpersonal or community conflicts outside the legal system for residents of Leon County
If you're navigating a situation that feels overwhelming—such as a personal conflict, workplace dispute, or harm within a group or organization—Restorative Dialogue offers a safe, supportive space to address the harm, take accountability, and explore repair. Referrals are welcome from individuals, organizations, or community partners. These services are also free.
Option 1: Restorative Justice (RJ) for Criminal Cases
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Overview
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​A structured and facilitated process where people most directly impacted by harm — including responsible parties, those who’ve been harmed, and their supporters — come together in a facilitated conversation.
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The goal is to share perspectives, take accountability, and identify ways to repair the harm.
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Eligibility
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Adults (18+) responsible for harm at time of referral to our program
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Cases within Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit (Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, and Wakulla counties).
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Involvement of criminal offense
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Responsible party must take accountability
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Attorney agreement for pending criminal cases
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Case Types
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Diversion or plea agreements for open criminal cases
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For diversion cases: charges are dismissed upon successful completion of our program​
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Post-conviction cases (including currently or formerly incarcerated individuals)
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Process Overview
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Referral from attorneys, system partners, or individuals
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Preparation with all parties
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Facilitated RJ Conference
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Co-created agreements to repair harm & follow-up
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RJ Asks
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What happened?
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What are the perceived root causes?
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Who has been impacted and how?
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What can be done to repair the harm and prevent something like that from happening again?
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Why Choose RJ?
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Empowers the responsible party to take accountability and repair harm
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Offers healing and closure for those impacted
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Humanizes everyone involved
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Proven to reduce recidivism and court involvement
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Increases participant satisfaction compared to alternative criminal legal system processes​
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Option 2: Restorative Dialogue for Community Conflicts
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Overview
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If you're navigating a situation that feels overwhelming—such as a personal conflict, workplace dispute, or harm within a group or organization—Restorative Dialogue offers a safe, supportive space to address the harm, take accountability, and explore repair. Referrals are welcome from individuals, organizations, or community partners. These services are also free. ​
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Eligibility
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Adults (18+) responsible for harm in community settings
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For residents of Leon County only
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No pending criminal cases allowed (those may be eligible for RJ)
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Willing to participate in a respectful, honest, and safe dialogue process that is voluntary
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Case Types
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Conflict or harm between community members (neighbors, friends, roommates)
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Workplace disputes (colleagues, supervisors)
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Harm within groups, communities, or teams
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Long-standing interpersonal tensions
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Situations where formal systems (like law enforcement or HR) may not be appropriate or have not brought resolution
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Process Overview
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Referral from individuals, organizations, or partners
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Individual preparation meetings with each participant
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Facilitated Restorative Dialogue
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Setting agreements and follow-up
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Why Choose Restorative Dialogue?
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Encourages honest conversation in a non-punitive space
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Prioritizes dignity, safety, and mutual understanding
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Fosters accountability and personal growth
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Helps prevent future harm and rebuild trust
Types of Cases
Community Harm (Non-Criminal)
We accept referrals for conflicts or situations between at least two parties in which one party is clearly responsible for the harm. The responsible party needs to be an adult (18 or older) at the time the main harm happened, and it either happened in Leon County or one or more of the parties lives in Leon County.
RJ is a great option for those impacted by harm if any of the following apply:​
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You don’t want this harm to ruin the relationship you have/had with the other party.
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You want clarity or understanding about why the harm happened, or why it happened to you.
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You want an opportunity to be fully heard about your experience, thoughts, feelings, and needs.
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You do not want to press charges, but you would like there to be some accountability and action taken regarding the harm.
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You would like to have a say in how the harm can be addressed, the type of repair that needs to happen, and strategies to keep the responsible party from committing similar harm in the future.
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You want to feel a sense of safety again in places/situations in which you don’t now because of the harm.
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You want closure, or to be able to mentally and emotionally move on.
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RJ is a great option for those responsible for harm if any of the following apply:
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You are taking accountability and responsibility for what happened (mandatory requirement)
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You have remorse around what happened and want to make amends
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You are trying to grow and better themselves
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You do not want to be defined by this one action/harm, but rather by who you are
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You want to repair the relationship with the impacted party
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You want to contribute to a safer and more connected community
Some scenarios of community harm that could benefit from RJ are below. It's important to note this list is NOT exhaustive, but rather a few examples to provide an idea of what might be appropriate for RJ.​​
A Domestic Dispute
One partner is angry with the other and keys their car. Car owner does not want to press charges, but would like to handle the dispute in a safe, respectful, and effective manner.
Roommate Dispute
One roommate accidentally runs over the other’s cat while drunk. They feel terrible about it, but the cat owner is incredibly angry with the roommate.
Neighbor Dispute
Neighbor A lies to neighbor B about the timing of an HOA meeting because they don’t want neighbor B to be able to vote on a pressing neighborhood matter. Neighbor B learns of the lie after the meeting and wants neighbor A to take accountability. Others in the neighborhood hear of the lie and also want neighbor A to make it right. Neighbor A feels remorse for their actions and also wants to make things right again.
Friend Dispute
Friend A promises to help friend B move to a new apartment. Friend A forgets, makes other plans, doesn’t pick up the moving van like they said they would, and friend B is delayed in moving out in time because they are doing it themselves, they get stuck paying extra fees for not moving out in time, and they throw out their back trying to move large pieces of furniture by themselves.
Data Supporting our Restorative Services
We are excited to report our program maintains a 100% satisfaction rate from participants.
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Total Referrals
March 1st, 2024- May 31, 2025
Total Completed Cases
March 1st, 2024- May 31, 2025
How Our Services are FREE!
In January 2024, Connection First began its contract with the City of Tallahassee. Our funding was initiated as a part of our City's efforts to address and reduce gun violence. Currently, we are in Year 2 of our contract. ​
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While we prioritize criminal cases where the harm occurred in Leon County—and all of our cases to date have come from there—we are open and equipped to accept criminal cases from any county within Florida's Second Judicial Circuit (Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, and Wakulla counties. and community harm cases for residents of Leon County.
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Thank you City of Tallahassee!
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Evidence for RJ
Impacted parties express high levels of satisfaction and healing through RJ
RJ brings high levels of satisfaction and healing to impacted parties. They value the pre-conferencing process, the ability to help develop RJ agreements, and the opportunity to share their experiences of harm. Studies show that 90% of victims who participate in RJ recommend it over traditional criminal procedures, and RJ helps reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms significantly compared to traditional justice methods.
RJ lowers recidivism and reduces crime rates
RJ practices have proven effective in lowering recidivism and reducing crime rates. Communities across the nation, such as St. Croix Valley, Vermont, and Longmont, report recidivism rates as low as 7.3%, 8.9%, and 10%, respectively. RJ programs can reduce recidivism by 7% to 45% two years post-program, and participants often reoffend at lower severity levels. Responsible parties in RJ programs are also more likely to complete restitution payments.
Local Success
In Tallahassee, the Community Connections juvenile diversion program, which teaches Nonviolent Communication through a restorative justice lens, boasts a recidivism rate of less than 7%. Remarkably, the program has had no fights in over a decade, despite many participants being referred for fighting. Additionally, over 30% of these teens return to volunteer.
RJ reduces costs
Research supports the cost-effectiveness of restorative justice conferencing. Strang et al. (2013) found RJ programs provided up to 14 times as much benefit in costs by crime prevention. Another study shows that every one dollar spent on RJ saves the community eight dollars in preventing crime.
