Last fiscal year, Huckleberry’s juvenile justice program, Community Assessment & Resource Center (CARC) launched RESET (Restoring and Empowering Social Equity & Truth), a restorative justice program which brings together juvenile justice-involved youth responsible for harm caused, and individuals directly impacted, to collaboratively create a restorative action plan.
Restorative justice is a community-based approach to dealing with conflict, crime, and harm through non-punitive practices centering on the needs of those directly impacted. Through addressing underlying causes, restorative justice aims to strengthen relationships and empower individuals to prevent future harm.
RESET provides circle conferencing for conflict resolution to CARC clients, the greater community, and/or youth referred by probation as a diversion from the traditional juvenile justice system. Circle conferences create a supportive, safe, and confidential space to prevent harm, repair conflict, and strengthen community. This process allows the person harmed, responsible youth, family, and community members to collaboratively create a restorative plan that directly addresses the ways in which each participant was impacted.
