The goal of the Restorative Justice Program is to reduce the number of youth entering or re-entering the criminal justice system by offering opportunities for offenders to be involved in restorative justice processes.

Description:
The Restorative Justice Program's primary service is to provide Restorative Group Conferencing Processes for incidents of harm involving juvenile offenders. Conferencing involves the community of people most affected by wrongdoing - victims and their supporters, offenders and their supporters and representatives of the community - in deciding the resolution of a criminal or harmful incident. The affected parties are brought together to discuss how people have been harmed by the incident and how that harm might be repaired. The session ends with the participants coming to a mutually acceptable agreement on how to address the harm and how future harms might be prevented. The Conference is held in a safe and structured setting with the assistance of a trained facilitator. The facilitator's role is to prepare the participants prior to the Conference and to assist the parties in communicating respectfully during the process.

History:
The Restorative Justice Program began in March 2000 after a grant was received from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Eight different County Agencies and schools came together to write a grant proposal, develop the program, and hire a Program Coordinator. Until April 2005, the program functioned under the Clay County Collaborative. The program is now a service of the Clay County Sheriff's Office.

Contact person: Jill Wenger, Coordinator, (218) 299-5213, (email)
Office fax number: (218) 299-5228

Address:

915 9th Avenue North, P.O. Box 280 Moorhead, MN 56561-0280 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.co.clay.mn.us/Depts/Sheriff/ResJust.htm

Directions:

This office is located in the Law Enforcement Center building, which houses the Clay County Sheriff and Moorhead Police Departments. The building is just West of the Clay County Courthouse.   Nearest Bus Stop: Front of Clay County Courthouse, 1 minute walk