Our local newspaper the Honolulu Advertiser, which has gotten so ridiculously thin and short of substance it should be really should be called the Honolulu Newsletter, did a week long series, Crossing the Line, on intimate violence. The series featured the insightful journal writings of a young woman who was murdered by her former boyfriend. I wrote the letter copied below to the editor that was published January 3, 2009 about using restorative justice for domestic violence. I like the quote in the last paragraph of the letter, which the mother of an incarcerated man said during a Restorative Circle a couple weeks ago.
Restorative Justice
Program offers help to curbing violence
Thank you for your recent domestic violence articles, which omitted restorative justice as a possibility for some people. Hawai’i has a rich history of embracing restorative interventions, which research confirms works to rehabilitate and heal in a variety of areas including: child protection, schools, prisons and courts.
While some believe restorative justice requires offenders and victims meeting together, this is not always true. In Hawai’i we have developed the Restorative Session where individuals meet separately to deal with crimes. In the state District Court Pono Kaulike pilot program, research shows violence was reduced more after restorative interventions than current approaches.
Linda Mills, New York University professor and author of “Violent Partners: A Breakthrough Plan for Ending the Cycle of Abuse,” believes we need a “comprehensive approach to violence prevention that encourages people to overcome their shame and get the help they need.” Mills, along with many others, believe that restorative justice offers this.
To stop violence people have to learn they will not always get what they want, and as someone said recently during a restorative intervention, “People need to learn to expect and accept disappointments.” Restorative interventions offer a way for people to learn this simple, but sometimes difficult lesson.
Lorenn Walker, J.D., M.P.H.
Waialua, restorative justice coordinator, Hawai’i Friends of Civic & Law Related Education