"Six Boys, One Cop and
The Road to Restorative Justice"
Featured article by our Restorative Justice Fellow Molly Rowan Leach
►Read Entire Article
Supporter,
With US Attorney-General Eric Holder announcing plans to curb mass
incarceration, and many states taking note, could restorative justice
transform America’s "prison-industrial complex?"
This excellent featured article at Open Democracy by our
Restorative Justice Fellow Molly Rowan Leach is based on true events and
jaw-dropping statistics that are coming out of the Restorative programs
within Longmont CO, Colorado's Police Department and Community programs
that focus on diversion, saving money, time, and saving youth from the
cycle of incarceration and punishment -- while still holding them
accountable for their harms.
Here's a sneak peek at the article--and to read more (you will want to) just click on the big blue link above.
It’s a warm summer night in Longmont,
Colorado, a vibrant midsized city in the Rocky Mountains. On a dare, six
young men aged between ten and thirteen years plan to break into a
giant chemical processing plant. High levels of alcohol and
testosterone, peer pressure and a moonless night propel the group
towards the locked gates of the factory, and they break in.
Across town at the Police Department,
Officer Greg Ruprecht is about to embark on night patrol. A former Army
Captain and top of his class at the Police Academy, Ruprecht believes
his job is to arrest everyone who commits a crime and throw away the
key. Justice means punishment: an eye for an eye, no questions asked.
You do something bad and you get what you deserve. There’s a clear line
to walk. But what occurred at the chemical plant that night changed him
forever by awakening a very different sensibility: instead of an
instrument of vengeance, justice requires that we work to restore all
those who have been injured by a crime.
The police transponder went off not
long after he arrived in the industrial area of the town. “Six suspects
breaking and entering at BioChem Industries, 644 Southwest Way, over.”
“Roger, patrol 33 in vicinity and responding” he replied. As with any
emergency, in the time between receiving the call and arriving at the
scene, Ruprecht imagined what was happening, and tried to prepare
himself mentally to avoid underestimating any of the circumstances. It
was known in town that the plant had highly toxic chemicals inside, and
he assumed he’d be dealing with seasoned thieves who would be armed.
Carefully emerging from his car, the
scene was quiet except for the tall grasses in the field to the left of
the plant that provided a possible route of escape. Given the moonless
night he had to switch on his searchlight to back up his suspicion that
the suspects might be hiding in the grass. He carefully pulled his gun,
just in case. Bingo. The spotlight beam illuminated the bobbing heads
that were running for their lives. But these were not the heads of
adults. Kids, he thought - these are just kids. He called out for them
to halt. Almost out of earshot but just enough to look back, two
stopped, while the rest stumbled on, hesitated, and then realized the
seriousness of what was happening... READ ENTIRE ARTICLE
Officer Ruprecht and the Longmont Police Department partner with the Longmont Community Justice Partnership,
and represent a strong and growing systemic effort providing viable
proof of Restorative Justice's efficacy and results. You can contact
Police Chief Mike Butler at the Longmont P.D. by emailing him
if you are interested in more information about the programs and
services, or how to get one started in your own city or state. You can
also learn more about Colorado's successful RJ programs.
In Peace,
Matthew Albracht
PS: This new PBS special Fixing Juvie Justice features our friend and colleague Lauren Abramson from Baltimore's Community Conferencing Center. Well worth the hour!
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