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Archive for the ‘Restorative Justice’ Category

Two New RSI Special Topics Available

Susan M. Yates, December 21st, 2021

RSI is pleased to announce we have added two new Special Topics to our Resource Center. One is about Restorative Justice and its relationship to court ADR and the other is about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in court ADR. RSI develops Special Topics from time to time to respond to issues people who work with court ADR are facing. These latest Special Topics join others on subjects such as eviction mediation, online dispute resolution and child protection mediation.

Both these Special Topics were made possible by a grant from the American Arbitration Association – International Centre for Dispute Resolution Foundation. Thank you to the AAA-ICDR Foundation!

Illinois Expands Restorative Justice Court Programs

Nicole Wilmet, August 28th, 2020

This month, Illinois’ Cook County expanded its restorative justice court programs. In 2017, the state launched its first restorative justice court program in the North Lawndale neighborhood and this month expanded to the Avondale and Englewood communities. Much like the North Lawndale court, to be eligible for these new programs the victim of the crime must be willing to participate and the person charged must be between 18-26 years old, be charged with a nonviolent felony or misdemeanor, accept responsibility for the harm caused and live within the Avondale or Englewood communities. Additional information about these programs can be found in RSI’s Court ADR Across Illinois resource.

Nebraska Updates Legislation to Include Restorative Justice

Nicole Wilmet, July 19th, 2019

In May, the Nebraska legislature passed an alternative dispute resolution bill that, in part, updates the state’s Dispute Resolution Act, Juvenile Code, and Student Discipline Act to include restorative justice provisions and expand the Office of Dispute Resolution’s authority to utilize restorative justice. The updated Dispute Resolution Act now requires the Office of Dispute Resolution director to support the implementation, development, promotion and evaluation of restorative justice at ADR centers. Individuals approved to be restorative justice facilitators at these centers are required to complete 30 hours of basic mediation training and must also undergo additional restorative justice focused training in topics including, but not limited to, restorative justice basics, trauma-informed practices, juvenile developmental characteristics and crime victimization.

The bill also updates the Dispute Resolution Act to include a privilege for communications made during or in connection with cases referred to restorative justice programs. The new bill also provides definitions for restorative justice and restorative justice facilitator in both the Dispute Resolution Act and Juvenile Code and further defines victim conferencing in the Juvenile Code.

Updates to the Juvenile Code include providing restorative justice as an option in juvenile cases and permitting courts to order juveniles for assessment and referral to restorative justice programs. Additionally, the newly updated Juvenile Code permits county/city attorneys to utilize restorative justice services as a part of diversion. Finally, the new legislation updates the Student Discipline Act and permits school districts to refer students to restorative justice practices and services to address behavioral issues. The bill was signed into law by Governor Pete Ricketts on May 21, 2019 and may be read in full here.

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