Volunteers come out in big numbers for Restorative Justice training

Quite a few people turned out to take part in the volunteer three-day restorative justice training that was held at the Cook County Community Center last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The program has been used in Cook County as an alternative to jailing some types of offenders if they agree to go through the program, which lasts about one year. Photo courtesy of Inger Andress

The Cook County Minnesota Restorative Justice program (CCMNRJ) had another great turn out for its training sessions held April 25, 26th and 27th at the Cook County Community Center.

The advanced, three-day community volunteer training was sponsored by a grant from the North Shore Health Care Foundation that was awarded to this Choices and Voices project. Also, Cook County Higher Ed partnered with the program for this program. CCMNRJ is driven by a group of community volunteers to train to help victims and offenders find solutions that promote accountability, healing, and reconciliation.

The lead instructor, Ted Lewis, is from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and has been consulting with the Restorative Justice program for Cook County throughout this past year to build a solid foundation.

Along with this consulting, Cook County Attorney Molly Hicken, and Cook County Victim/Witness Coordinator Leah Eckstrom, have been key stakeholders in assisting the program with policy and procedure that is necessary to have clear communications with various case assignments to CCMNRJ. They work in partnership with the Cook County Attorney’s Office and the Cook County sheriff.

What is Restorative Justice?

Restorative Justice is about accountability, restitution, restoration and where diversions can be an alternative to court sentencing, saving money for the county.

Participation requires strength and encouragement from both parties to learn about the other and set themselves on a path to move forward more positively. Early interventions can set a young person’s life on a more constructive path, and offenders have higher rates of restitution and lower rates of recidivism.

Ultimately, victims have a voice in the process and express higher satisfaction with outcomes that bring about true community healing.

For more information, please call CCMNRJ at 218-288-3760.