Expanding the Meaning of Justice in Vermont
Legislators have the daunting task of drafting laws that effectively respond to crime while reducing spending on incarceration and finding the balance between punishment and restoration. Restorative justice provides this balance.
Processes used by the community justice centers are evidence-based, cost-effective, humane, responsive, and grounded in principles and practices that have been proven to reduce recidivism and repair communities.
Programs run by CJCs support victims in their quest for information and resolution, help people reentering their communities after incarceration to live pro-social lives, help those who have committed crimes take responsibility for their actions and try to make things better, and provide information and mediation to community members involved in conflict. CJCs help to make communities safer and reduce the incidence of re-offending.