St. Johnsbury
The Community Restorative Justice Center, Inc.
Located in St. Johnsbury, VT
Susan Cherry, Director
108 Cherry Street
St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819
Phone: 802-748-2977
Fax: 802-748-3146
Email: scherry@stjcjc.org
Website: www.stjcjc.org
About The Community Restorative Justice Center, Inc.
The St. Johnsbury Community Justice Center is the second oldest Justice Center in Vermont, having been organized in 1999. We are now a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization and provide service to all of Caledonia County and Southern Essex County. Our programs are broad in scope and include not only restorative justice alternatives to the criminal justice system – seven active Reparative Boards and a very active Pre-Charge Program which utilizes the RealJustice conferencing model – but also free monthly legal clinics, mediation of community disputes, a St. Johnsbury Parking Board which hears parking ticket appeals, information and referral services, and facilitation of community dialogue on an as needed basis.
We also support 8 Neighborhood and Tenant Associations. At the request of our Town Manager, and with the support of our Police Chief, for the past year we have done outreach and community organizing work in several areas of Town, providing support to the first neighborhood organization that we helped organize in 2003, and continuing to launch in more communities. These groups serve as a protective factor against criminal acts in the neighborhoods, and provide an opportunity for dialogue between local law enforcement and probation & parole officers and residents, opening channels of communication that bring problematic situations to light and give citizens an opportunity to have their fears and concerns addressed.
The Community Justice Center is also a key player in local community-wide collaborations, including the Equal Exchange TimeBank which is housed at the Center, “The Longest Night” homelessness awareness event which the Justice Center is coordinating, the Caledonia and southern Essex HelpFund, and other efforts.
The St. Johnsbury Community Justice Center has a full time Director, a full time Offender Reentry Program Coordinator, a part time Restorative Justice Coordinator, a part time Legal Program Coordinator, and a front office receptionist. We also have over 90 very active volunteers who provide nearly all Justice Center services on a regular and on-going basis.
