Become a Restorative Justice Facilitator

Thank you for your interest in becoming a facilitator for Restorative Denver! Restorative Justice is a responsive dialogue facilitation process that offers people who were harmed by crime an opportunity to seek answers and those who caused the harm an opportunity to take accountability to begin to repair the damage caused by conflict and/or crime. TCC’s RJ facilitators focus on the Community Group Conference (CGC) process which brings together a group of people involved in crime, including people who were harmed, people who caused harm, support people, community members, and facilitators. Restorative Justice Facilitators will be provided a $100 stipend per case or have the option to donate their time. The Conflict Center has a high priority on seeking applicants who reflect the diverse people we serve. You do not have to be in Denver to apply, we are currently accepting applicants that can facilitate virtually.

“One of the programs I am most passionate about is the partnership with the Denver DA’s Office to provide Restorative Justice to adults. This program helps people address the harms they caused in a way that allows them to be a part of the community and not be shunned by the community. For me, most importantly, it is an important disruption in the prison pipeline that disproportionately impacts people of color. I am proud to be both a Board Member and a volunteer restorative justice facilitator. ”

-Aneesha Bharwani, Board Member and Restorative Denver Facilitator

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Duties and Responsibilities

• Follow procedures and script outlined in the training manual and training sessions.
• Maintain confidentiality of the person who was harmed, the person who caused harm, and the court and police records.
• Maintain impartiality and establish ground rules throughout the process.
• Facilitate pre-conference and conference meetings with person who was harmed and people who caused harm toward a positive resolution whenever possible.
• Assist participants in developing and approving a mutually acceptable agreement (contract), in writing, as part of completion of the Restorative Justice process.
• Complete all necessary paperwork accurately, completely, and in a timely manner.
• Give necessary feedback regarding meetings to staff, especially if there is a concern or problem.
• Accept cases regularly and complete within required timelines.

Qualifications

An ability to…

• Complete background check prior to facilitator training (please note outcome does not automatically determine eligibility)
• assume responsibility, honor commitments, and conduct meetings as scheduled.
• communicate with people who caused harm and person who was harmed and understand their perspectives and concerns.
• maintain openness to different cultures and beliefs and work with individuals of different identities and backgrounds.
• identify and separate your personal values from issues under consideration.
• communicate in a courteous and professional manner.
• maintain impartiality when people are in conflict and project a calm presence.
• work independently and within departmental and program policies and procedures.
• keep conference focus on the incident and its impact rather than on the character or worth of the person who caused harm.
• explore complex and sometimes contradictory factual and emotional information.
• be persistent in a process that may require multiple contacts over an extended period.
• understand power imbalances and how to recognize the unique circumstances regarding power imbalances between people who were harmed and people who caused harm.
• show respect for all participants and willingness to address bias, both your own and when present within the group.

Facilitators and Co-Facilitators

All cases will have two facilitators assigned to them. New facilitators will always be placed with a more experienced facilitator until they feel comfortable with all areas of facilitation. The benefits of this include: 

• Increased safety
• Another person to listen and perhaps hear things that you missed
• Someone to share the workload
• Another viewpoint on how to approach a case
• Balancing skills and strengths
• Sharing feedback after meetings

Facilitator Training

Restorative Justice is a responsive dialogue facilitation process that offers  people who were harmed by crime an opportunity to seek answers and those who caused the harm an opportunity to take accountability to begin to repair the damage caused by conflict and/or crime. TCC’s RJ facilitator training focuses on the Community Group Conference (CGC) process which brings together a group of people involved in crime, including people who were harmed, people who caused harm, support people, community members, and facilitators. The two day training focuses on training facilitators to conduct Community Group Conferences. Trainees will learn  the Community Group Conference process, purpose and structure, facilitator communication techniques and strategies for creating an achievable written agreement to repair the harm.

Upcoming Training Dates

All of the following trainings take place from 9:30am – 1:30pm over all three days*:

• November 4, 5, 8, 2021
• January 14, 15, 16, 2022
• March 18, 19, 20, 2022

*The training is not drop-in; you must fill out an application before attending. Your application will be reviewed within six weeks and we will be in touch to inform you of your application status. Upon acceptance, you will be sent a link to register for one of the upcoming training dates that works best for your schedule.