Restorative Justice | Northern Virginia Mediation Service

When people experience HARM from unresolved conflicts or offenses in a community, they often desire more holistic outcomes than resolution of a conflict or accountability for those responsible for the harm.

Restorative Justice (RJ) is a mediation-like process in which those that have been affected by an identifiable harm in the community (family, neighborhood, school, church, organization, employer, etc.) seek to repair the harm and restore relationships, more than simply resolve a dispute or punish an offender.

In a restorative process, professional RJ facilitators gather those affected by a harm in a safe and respectful circle format in order to:

Express how they have been affected by a specific harm or an unaddressed conflict.
Listen to how others have been affected and the consequences resulting from it.
Recognize how they may have harmed others and acknowledge the consequences of their actions.
Commit to mutually agreeable steps to repair the harm and restore relationships.

Participation is voluntary. Those affected can utilize a restorative process in lieu of, or even after, more traditional or oppositional forums, such as official complaints or litigation. Sometimes those affected include official parties (e.g., merchants, police, community organizations, etc.), and their interests or jurisdiction may take precedence over or they may complement a restorative process.

Sessions may be scheduled at the NVMS office, NVMS training center or at a public community facility.

What Situations Can Restorative Justice Address?

Different situations might lend themselves either to mediation or to restorative justice, but intake discussions with NVMS staff help to clarify the preferences or choices of those affected.

The RJ process typically applies to community situations in which conflicting parties acknowledge that some action (or lack of one) harmed them, and they are seeking ways to address the harm (in addition to other resolutions). These situations may be distributed into two categories:

Where the underlying conflict or offense involves the commission of a crime, and in so far as justice authorities support an RJ process to address it, RJ facilitators work with the offender(s), the victim(s) and those similarly affected by the harm (e.g., family members, neighbors, colleagues) to acknowledge the harm and its consequences, to take appropriate responsibility for it, and to seek ways to repair it as much as is possible. These cases might involve crimes of theft, simple assault, vandalism, etc.
Where the underlying conflict or offense does not involve the commission of a crime, RJ facilitators work similarly with those that have been harmed, including when applicable, parties such as merchants or schools. These cases might involve violations of school conduct codes (e.g., fighting, bullying, cheating, etc.). Or cases might involve neighbors that have been harmed over interpersonal relationships or behavior in the community (e.g., noise, infringement on space, etc.).

What Happens In A Restorative Justice Conversation?

After an intake conversation, a RJ professional facilitator conducts separate conversations with each of the parties to explain the RJ process, confirm their willingness and readiness to participate, discuss differing perceptions of harm, consequences and interests, and to establish a mutually agreeable date, time and place to meet.

Facilitators assemble the parties in a circle format to foster open and direct conversation. They invite each party to respond without interruption to specific questions that enable them to speak and hear each one’s experience of harm and its consequences. They then invite the parties to speak to potential ways in which the harm can be repaired as much as is possible. When the parties reach this point, the facilitators help them record their agreements.

Who Are The Restorative Justice Facilitators?

The NVMS corps of RJ facilitators is trained and experienced in both mediation and Restorative Justice skills. They are members of the local community, and many bring significant additional professional skills or experience to their RJ work.

NVMS Service Area

NVMS provides community mediation, training and related services throughout the Northern Virginia area, including in the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William as well as the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church and other contiguous cities and towns in the area. NVMS also serves individuals, families, organizations, corporations & agencies throughout the Washington metropolitan area.

Getting Started

All it takes is a genuine interest in addressing the harm from unresolved conflicts or offenses. Call the NVMS office at 703.865.7272 or complete and submit the following inquiry form electronically or fax it to 703.246.8992.

Restorative Justice Inquiry Form