Restorative justice means restorative communities.

We desire to see Durham become a restorative city, a community where we own and address the reality of harm within our schools, neighborhoods, organizations, and everyday relationships. Restorative justice processes point us toward those more human and holistic ways of relating to one another, and ultimately, toward transformative communities that embrace their responsibility for the prevention, repair, and healing of harm.

Join us in community healing​​

What is RJ?

 Restorative justice (RJ) is an alternative form of justice with deep roots in indigenous peacemaking. RJ processes center the needs of the people and communities harmed by wrongdoing and provide an opportunity for people who caused harm to take accountability for their actions. RJ Durham uses a voluntary process grounded in circles and guided by shared values to engage all those affected—alongside supporters and community members in the creation of a plan to repair the harm as much as possible.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PROCESSES

What makes RJ different?

In addition to offering an alternative process, restorative justice asks fundamentally different questions. Our criminal legal system abstracts harm to what law has been broken, who broke it, and how they should be punished. RJ deepens and broadens the conversation back into community, asking who has been harmed, what their needs are, who bears responsibility for meeting those needs, and how the harm can be repaired and prevented from recurring.​

How we work at RJ Durham