Seventeen years of restorative justice circles: The Yellow Medicine County experience

Abstract

ABSTRACT The punitive approach of the current justice system can be financially costly to the community and does not intrinsically provide healing to the persons harmed, the community, or those responsible for causing the harm. Using information gathered during an immersion in Yellow Medicine County’s (YMC) Restorative Justice Program, this article focuses on Restorative Justice Circles as a demonstrated, organized, and dignified path toward conflict resolution by directly addressing the offending behavior and its effect on the victim and community, while offering a healing path forward. Based on a culturally responsive model of learning and inquiry, the informal qualitative method of this study represents knowledge of the YMC Circle Program gained from personal experiences, conversations, and document review and is intended to summarize key observations and learning. Achievements, challenges, and key components of the program are reviewed through the experience of participating in over 20 Circles and interviewing staff and participants about why specific techniques work. Examination of the positive impact of the Circle program on YMC provides vital insight for others seeking an alternate path forward for addressing and repairing harm in their communities.