Restorative Justice with juvenile offenders works. That was the general consensus of those gathered yesterday at the Juvenile Detention facility in Knoxville. Several organizations were recognized for volunteering to be host sites. Hope for Healing.Org was among them.
The significance of the program cannot be overstated.
Restorative Justice is the term for juvenile offenders who perform court ordered community service. The idea is that the kids took something from society when they got into trouble. Through community service they are restoring themselves to society.
Kids in restorative justice also get to learn new skills. Their host sites are often very different from what the kids are used to doing o their own. Part of the transformation is a new sense of pride and increased confidence.
Recidivism among these youth is about 10%. Among the adult population it is over 64%. Hope for Healing.Org has been involved for nearly 3 years. We look forward to spending many more years of changing the lives of kids.
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