338 Plush Mill Rd
Wallingford, PA 19086
USA
A Conference for Inspiration, Education, Networking, and Action
Mar 10-13, 2016
Special guests: Kay Pranis, Joy DeGruy, Rev. Nelson and Joyce Johnson, Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, and many others.
$555/shared room; $665/private room; $355/commuter.
Pre-conference introduction to restorative practices: $40.
Financial assistance is available.
Unless you are registered for the Preconference Introduction, the program begins Thursday, March 10, with registration from 4:30 to 6:00pm, followed by dinner at 6:00pm, and the Keynote Address by Kay Pranis at 7:30pm. The program ends with the midday meal on Sunday, March 13, beginning at noon.
A call arose from participants in last spring’s “Ending Mass Incarceration and the New Jim Crow” conference: As we continue the work of dismantling the structures that perpetuate mass incarceration, how can we establish humane, life-sustaining, and healing alternatives?
We envision a world where people who offend are not caged, exiled, and stigmatized for life, where public school children aren’t fodder for the school-to-prison pipeline, and where historic intergenerational wounds are acknowledged and healed.
Such a world is already in the making and looking for our support.
“Restorative justice is a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offence and to collectively identify and address harms, needs and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible.” —Howard Zehr, The Little Book of Restorative Justice
In restorative justice circles, those who are harmed (including people directly and indirectly harmed by an offense), the community, and the person who has engaged in the harmful conduct meet together to discern how to repair the harm done and restore the community to harmony and balance.
Restorative justice models are taking root in schools, workplaces, community centers, and as alternatives to the “judge and punish” paradigm – yielding promising results: reduced recidivism, dramatically reduced suspensions and expulsions from school, significant drops in violent and bullying incidents, and public truth-telling, acknowledgment of injury, and community amends for intergenerational harms.
As we continue our work to end mass incarceration and the new Jim Crow, let us come together to focus on fostering restorative practices that create, strengthen, and sustain caring communities. Let us learn from practices long employed by our indigenous brothers and sisters, the value of honoring and strengthening the relationships at the foundation of community – rather than judging and exiling those whose actions cause harm.
We will experience circle practices, as well as explore together the many ways that transformative justice practices are being used for:
- peacemaking and truly participatory democratic decision-making;
- creative problem-solving and repairing harms in conflict situations in schools;
- repairing harm with victims, offenders, and citizens in community;
- mutual support and accountability in prisons and among returning citizens;
- healing ongoing harms from longstanding historical oppression of indigenous people and African Americans.
Our 23-acre wooded campus near Philadelphia is the perfect environment for reflecting on our journey towards creating the Beloved Community, connecting with those who are engaged in visioning and building it, learning from each other, and planning our way forward. We will have plenary speakers, panel discussions, restorative circles in which we process information, affinity groups, workshops, and films.
Pre-Conference Introduction to Restorative Practices
For those drawn to this work who lack familiarity with the basic tenets of restorative justice, we offer a pre-conference introduction to restorative practices on Thursday afternoon, March 10, from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. $40 includes materials, honorarium, and snacks. You can register for this session here (please note that this is a reservation for the pre-conference introduction to restorative practices on Thursday, March 10 from 1:30-5:30 p.m. ONLY. It does NOT include any room accommodations. If you wish to reserve a room, please call the Registration Office at 610-566-4507, ext. 137).