Virginia Center for Restorative Justice

Transcription

1 Virginia Center for Restorative Justice General Information Contact Information Nonprofit Virginia Center for Restorative Justice Address 3420 Pump Road, Suite 188 Richmond, VA Phone Fax Web Site Facebook facebook.com/virginia Center for Restorative Justice At A Glance Year of Incorporation 2010 Organization's type of tax exempt status Public Supported Charity 1

2 Statements & Search Criteria Mission The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice will encourage respect and mutual empowerment in the community and demonstrate effective evidenced-based restorative practices. Background In 1988, Judy Clarke spent a day in the City of Richmond Jail with her Leadership Metro Richmond class. That experience was engraved indelibly on her mind. She couldn't figure out how to help people who were headed for jail and prison. There had to be a better way to "rehabilitate" convicted felons. Judy was recruited to the Justice Fellowship Task Force (legislative and lobbying arm of Prison Fellowship) and was trained by the Department of Justice in their Victim Offender Reconciliation Program. She formed a non-profit organization titled the Capital Area Victim - Offender Reconciliation Program (CAVORP). An Executive Director was hired and Judy became Chairman of the Board. Over a period of 6 years this organization trained 40 people in victim offender conferencing and ultimately due to Judy's increasing work responsibilities, the organization was transferred to the Norfolk, VA area. In 2008, Judy entered graduate school at the highly acclaimed Eastern Mennonite University in pursuit of a master's degree in Conflict Transformation with a concentration in Restorative Justice. She graduated in May of The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice was formed as a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization in August of It was an outgrowth of the restorative justice ministry of Judy Clarke at a Richmond area female correctional facility. In 2011, Judy was invited to participate in the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) Future Search planning retreat. There she met VADOC leaders who invited her organization to take its program into all correctional facilities in Virginia (male and female). Judy and her staff of volunteers are busy meeting with correctional facility Wardens and Superintendents and explaining the program while recruiting and training additional volunteers to participate in the implementation of the program in prisons located around the state. Impact Accomplishments: 1. VCRJ was selected by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) to participate in the Youth Workforce Initiative US Dept. of Labor Grant. Over the next 3 years,vcrj will train and provide restorative justice technical assistance to BBBSA staff located in 10 different high poverty, high crime areas of the US. The combination of mentoring and restorative justice practices will help improve employment opportunities for atrisk youth. 2. VCRJ created 2 training programs for Court Certified Mediators certified by the Virginia Supreme Court for 8 hours of continuing mediation credit (CME) titled: "Introduction to Restorative Justice" and "Restorative Justice for Juveniles." 3. VCRJ created a training program for Attorneys certified by the Virginia State Bar for 8 hours of continuing legal education credit (CLE) titled "Introduction to Restorative Justice." 4. VCRJ volunteers lead a class titled "How to Handle Conflict" (the VCRJ Values Program) to over 3000 incarcerated women and men in 8 different state prisons located throughout Central Virginia. 5. VCRJ Volunteers are facilitating the "How to Handle Conflict" class with youthful offenders located in the Chesterfield Juvenile Detention Home. Goals: 1. Begin to offer Family Group Conferences to "returning citizens" helping them to reintegrate in to their family and community without shame or guilt. 2. Begin to offer Family Group Conferences and Sentencing Circles to juvenile courts as a court diversion and/or an alternative to sentencing. 3.Expand the "How to Handle Conflict" program into all Virginia State prisons and juvenile facilities. 4.Develop supportive relationships between local churches and local correctional facilities. 5.Train local church members in how to facilitate the "How to Handle Conflict" class. 6.Continue to teach and train Court Certified Mediators and Attorneys in restorative justice practices. Needs 1. Public awareness. We need to inform the public of the availability of restorative justice practices in their community. 2.We need to continue to raise operating capital so that we can sustain the organization. 3.We need to continue to teach and train Volunteers to work in the prisons and in the courts. 2

3 CEO/Executive Director Statement Tonight over 300,000 men and women are incarcerated in a Virginia prison at an approximate cost of $30,000 per year per inmate. Ninety eight percent of these men and women will return to our Virginia communities. How do we want them to return? Do we want them to return ready to become productive citizens or do we want them to return ready to re-offend? If we do not want them to re-offend, then we must allow these men and women to become accountable for the harm they have created. We must give them the opportunity to "make right" the harm they have created in our community and show them that they have been forgiven. Of the 300,000 number, about 3000 or 10% of them are women. Of these 3000 women, about 80% of them have been abused. Our prisons need to become a place of healing, not a place for further punishment. These men and women have often experienced a lifetime of punishment and it is a distinct and severe punishment to be removed from your family, home and community when sent to prison. The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice has recently received from the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) a statewide security clearance for VCRJ volunteers who are leading our weekly "values class" inside the prison. This means that any of these trained facilatators can enter any prison in Virginia and lead our values class. Leading a class on values has made a positive impact on inmates and leads to a better management of conflict, both inside and outside the prison. When a person coming out of prison already has a friend (Mentor) on the outside, then they are more likely to make a successful transition. The shame and guilt they would normally experience when re-entering the community is lessened because they have a friend who can help them feel safe. The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice is ready to train others who are willing to join us in leading these classes and teaching others how to mentor those who are returning to our community. It is my prayer that faith communities from the Richmond area will join us in this endeavor and begin to make a difference. 3

4 Board Chair Statement The first year of The Virginia Center for Restorative Justice (VCRJ) was filled with hard work, growth and many accomplishments. I have had the privilege of working with women of all ages who are incarcerated. I refer to my work as a privilege because these women have allowed me, as well as our other volunteers, a glimpse into their worlds. They have shared their pain, their tears, their dreams and their fears of what the future might hold. As volunteers, we spend time with these women to let them know there are people outside the prison walls that care about them. At the end of that first meeting, my goal is to call as many as I can by name and repeat something I remember about each one. I try to point out commonalities among the group such as Annie, Susie and Terry are all from Northern Virginia or Betty and Erika are both grandmothers. Women in prison feel very alone. By pointing out the things they share they know they have been heard. They discover a sense of community among the class members. One young woman thanked me for looking her in the eye and listening to her. She told me that no one had ever listened to her and that she appreciated being heard. I am often curious as to where she might be today. Current statistics indicate that 60% of women released from prison will re-offend within 90 days post release. After listening to the life stories of these women I have a better understanding of why that happens. "Our family business is drugs. My mom wrote to me and said she can't wait for me to come home and get back to work." "I've got nowhere to go when I leave here. I stole from all my friends and family to feed my habit. No one will have me back." "I have a record. Who's gonna hire me?" Providing a safe place and a better environment for these women to go to is critical to lowering that 60% statistic. The mentor is a volunteer who will be a friend to guide her mentee through the process of getting connected with her community She will help her get established with social services, provide transportation to the first meeting with her probation officer and to DMV to get an picture ID card. She will assist in signing up for resume classes or job search opportunities, getting familiar with the area and showing her where to pay her rent. The two will meet once a week to talk about challenges the mentee may be experiencing such as opening a checking account, shopping for groceries, and making a budget. A mentor s purpose is not to solve these issues, but to be a sounding board and to help her mentee learn how to resolve her own challenges. This relationship is a vital part to shifting the odds to a successful reentry back into society and reducing the rate of repeat offenders. With a small budget and a huge number of hours freely given by our dedicated volunteers, VCRJ was able to teach our Values Class to 235 women, furnish and pay the first three month s rent for two apartments, and welcome 4 women into our reentry program in our first year. As grateful as we are for these accomplishments, we know this is not the time to slow down for there are at least 3000 more women who need our help. Areas Of Service Areas Served Areas Metro Richmond Goochland County Henrico County Chesterfield County Hanover County Virginia Correctional Center for Women, Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, Unit 13 Correctional Center for Women, Chesterfield Detention and Diversion, Sussex 1 Correctional Center for Men, Deerfield Correctional Center for Men, Deep Meadow Correctional Center for Men, Chesterfield Juvenile Detention Home. 4

5 Service Categories Crime prevention 5

6 Programs Programs How to Handle Conflict Class Description These ten week, two hour per session classes are taught in female and male Virginia state prisons and in the Chesterfield Juvenile Detention Home by volunteers who are trained Restorative Justice Facilitators. They sit in a circle and discuss these values: trust, honesty, respect, empathy, forgiveness, integrity, accountability, discipline, humility and service. They discuss who they trust? Do they trust themselves? What does it mean to be honest? What are the consequences of a lie? Who do they respect? What does a person with respect represent to them? This type of reflective questioning introduces these women and men into a new way of thinking about how to problem solve. Budget $2, Long term Success Short Term Success For women completing these classes, 50 % of them will NOT re-offend in the first 90 days post release. By the end of these five classes, the ability to get along with inmates and officers will have improved for each woman who is incarcerated. Richmond Area Juvenile Court Project Description We are trained to offer victim-offender and family group conferencing as a volunteer service to juvenile courts. The courts have found this to be a valuable manner in which to involve the community in solving the problems of its youth. It is also very good for victims and offenders to confront one another and work in a respectful manner to "make right" the harm the offender has created. Budget $2, Long term Success Short Term Success The long term success of this restorative justice program will be seen when youthful offenders begin to realize that their actions have real consequences and that they have a real negative effect on people. Juvenile detention centers will have fewer juvenile residents and there will be a reduction in crime that leads from juvenile detention centers to jail and ultimately to prison. Many cases that could be settled out of court are brought to court simply because victims and offenders do not know how to resolve their conflicts in a safe, confidential and respectful manner. Victim-offender and/or family group conferencing will reduce the number of cases brought before the court. 6

7 Board & Governance Board Chair Board Chair Mr. Bradford Howard BS Company Affiliation Ziehm Imaging Term Jan 2014 to Jan Board Members Name Affiliation Status Hannah Bursen MBA Capital Area Health Network Voting Glenn Chewning MDiv Retired Voting Judith Tolleson Clarke BS, MA Virginia Center for Restorative Justice Voting Bradford Howard BS Ziehm Imaging Voting Angela King BS Virginia Department of Corrections Exofficio Erika Payne MBA Resource Workforce Center Voting Board Demographics - Ethnicity African American/Black 2 Asian American/Pacific Islander 0 Caucasian 4 Hispanic/Latino 0 Native American/American Indian 0 Other 0 0 Board Demographics - Gender Male 2 Female 4 Unspecified 0 Governance Board Term Lengths 3 Board Term Limits 0 Board Meeting Attendance % 90 Written Board Selection Criteria? Written Conflict of Interest Policy? Under Development Yes Percentage Making Monetary Contributions 0 Percentage Making In-Kind Contributions 0 7

8 Number of Full Board Meetings Annually 11 Additional Board Members Name Dr. Daniel Bagby Affiliation Baptist Theological seminary at Richmond/River Road Church - Baptist Comments 1. We are currently recruiting Board members to our working Board. We reviewed our needs with the Center for Non-profit Excellence which is how we recruited the 2 new African American females to our Board, and they are outstanding! 2. We need younger committed volunteers who are able to relate to juveniles with maturity. EAch will be trained and pass a Virginia Dept. of Corrections background check. 8

9 Management Executive Director/CEO Executive Director Term Start Aug Judith Tolleson Clarke BS, MA Experience Judy Clarke has a MA in Conflict Transformation and Restorative Justice from Eastern Mennonite University. She has been leading a restorative justice class at female and male correctional facilities in Virginia for seven years and has previously lead a victim offender reconciliation program titled the Capital Area Victim Offender Reconciliation Program, Richmond, VA She is the founding director of the Virginia Center for Restorative Justice and has lived and worked in the Richmond area her entire professional career. She has written a Introduction to REstorative Justice training program approved by both the VCirginia Supreme Court and the Virginia State Bar. Staff Full Time Staff 0 Part Time Staff 1 Volunteers 17 Contractors 0 Retention Rate 0 Plans Organization has a Fundraising Plan? Organization has a Strategic Plan? Organization Policy and Procedures Nondiscrimination Policy Directors and Officers Insurance Policy Under Development Under Development Under Development Under Development Yes 9

10 Financials Fiscal Year Sept Fiscal Year 2017 Projected Revenue $14, Projected Expenses $21, Endowment Value 0 Spending Policy Income Only Percentage (if selected) 0% Form 990s Form 990 Form 990 Form 990 Form 990 Form 990 Detailed Financials Revenue and Expenses Total Revenue $27,621 $23,298 $12,563 Total Expenses $31,768 $29,582 $6,603 Revenue Sources Foundation and Corporation Contributions Government Contributions $0 $0 $0 Federal State Local Unspecified Individual Contributions $10,486 $10,516 $12,638 Indirect Public Support Earned Revenue $15,281 $11, Investment Income, Net of Losses $5 $21 $3 Membership Dues Special Events -- $543 ($78) Revenue In-Kind Other $1,849 $

11 Expense Allocation Program Expense $27,426 $27,346 $3,964 Administration Expense $4,342 $2,236 $2,235 Fundraising Expense $404 Payments to Affiliates Total Revenue/Total Expenses Program Expense/Total Expenses 86% 92% 60% Fundraising Expense/Contributed Revenue 0% 0% 3% Assets and Liabilities Total Assets $11,838 $15,985 $22,269 Current Assets $11,838 $15,985 $22,269 Long-Term Liabilities $ Current Liabilities $ Total Net Assets $11,838 $15,985 $22,269 Short Term Solvency Current Ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities Long Term Solvency Long-Term Liabilities/Total Assets 0% 0% 0% Top Funding Sources Top Funding Source & Dollar Amount Second Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Third Highest Funding Source & Dollar Amount Capital Campaign Currently in a Capital Campaign? No Goal 0 Amount Raised To Date as of 0 Capital Campaign Anticipated in Next 5 Years? Yes State Charitable Solicitaions Permit Permit? Yes Jan 2014 Registration Yes Jan 2013 Comments Foundation Comments Financial information provided from Form 990-EZ Form 990-EZ prepared by Morey, Jones & Pfeiffer, PC Profit & Loss statement prepared internally by the organization 11

12 Created Copyright 2018 The Community Foundation Serving Richmond & Central Virginia 12