Restorative Resources is pleased to announce receipt of a grant award of $300,000 to provide services to teens in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Windsor.  Awarded by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the grant is targeted at juveniles in trouble and uses an innovative concept to right the wrong done and hold teens accountable through use of peer support circles.

The grant includes funding for partner agencies to participate including Sunny Hills Services and the California Youth Outreach.

“This is an exciting opportunity for expanding the way we respond to Juvenile Crime,” said Susan Kinder, Executive Director of Restorative Resources. 

Restorative justice brings offenders together with the victims of their crimes and other community members in a facilitated dialog where victims have an opportunity to voice the impact of the crimes on their lives and offenders develop plans to address their concerns. According to Kinder, Restorative Resources has handled over 900 juvenile crimes in this way in Sonoma County since 2002. “The percentages of youth who have gone through our program and reoffend are very low, compared to other programs for youth offenders” Kinder said. “Our experience has been that fewer than 8% of offenders reoffend.”

The new project will combine the successful experience of restorative meetings between youth and victim with circles of support called Accountability Circles.  Supported by community volunteers, juvenile offenders will hold each other accountable for “making things right” through completion of their individual restorative plans.  Successful graduates of the Accountability Circles will have the opportunity to serve as peer facilitators in future circles.

According to Amos Clifford, a consultant to the program, the community support of an Accountability Circle is critical to the transition from a youth to an adult role.  “This is an opportunity to give youth the opportunity to earn their place in the community as a result of stepping up and contributing.”

The initial grant amount is renewable for $300,000 annually for two additional years.

Our Mission
We provide resources to empower people to restore relationships and build communities of understanding and respect through use of restorative practices.

Our Vision
We are working to bring about a world where our justice systems heal, our schools transform behavior challenges into emotional growth, and our communities come together with compassion and creativity to overcome the challenges we face.

Restorative Practices
Restorative practices invite all people affected by wrongdoing to participate in restorative circles where everyone is given a voice in identifying harms and how to make things right. The circle conversations, guided by a trained facilitator, are marked by respect, equality and accountability. At the core of restorative practices is a deeply held trust in the innate capacity of all people to discover growth in adversity, to extract wisdom from challenges, to be thoughtful and just, and to authentically hear the perspectives of all.