The Restorative Justice Program (RJ) is an innovative approach to addressing crime and conflict in the District of Columbia. Our trained Restorative Justice facilitators work with those harmed by a crime, those who caused harm by a crime, and the supporters of each to resolve harm as a community.
What is Restorative Justice?
Unlike diversion programs, RJ is a victim-centered prosecutorial tool used in conjunction with the traditional court process. Under the program, a person prosecuted by OAG may be offered the opportunity to participate in RJ as a part of a plea agreement, but only if the victim of the crime is amenable to participating (or allowing someone to stand in as a surrogate) and the accused is willing to take accountability for their role in causing the harm.
What Are the Goals of Restorative Justice?
The goals of RJ are ultimately to guide program participants to and through a facilitated conversation regarding the harm caused, help the victim and the accused reach an agreement about how to repair the harm, and ensure the terms of the agreement are satisfactorily completed. This in-depth conversation centers around how the harm impacted the victim and community, the accused recounting and apologizing for their harmful behavior, the victim and accused identifying and agreeing upon ways in which the harm can be resolved, and the accused taking remedial steps to resolve the harm.
How Does Restorative Justice Work?
In addition to successfully completing the RJ conference and the terms of the agreement made at the RJ conference, youth charged with violent crimes are also required to complete Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—a behavior change intervention that helps reinforce RJ themes of empathy and consequential thinking. Upon successful completion of the RJ program, and depending on terms of the plea agreement, the accused may be eligible for a reduced sentence.
The Restorative Justice Team primarily handles pre-disposition youth felonies and misdemeanors. However, the team also takes other cases upon request, including some non-court-involved matters, post-disposition youth felonies, and adult misdemeanors—typically traffic cases such as cases involving the charge of Reckless Driving or Leaving After Colliding.