An Avenue for Forgiveness

Most of the time, we talk about restorative justice as an alternative to the justice system – and it is. But it’s also an avenue for forgiveness. I wanted to share this example of how your support makes a real difference in the lives of harmed parties:

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The other night, Anna was walking home from work and stopped short when she turned the corner - it was dark. 

                           Unusually dark. 

Frozen in the moment, Anna realized the light at the end of her drive wasn’t on. And she always leaves it on. Something wasn’t right.

Heart pounding. Ears perked. Anna tiptoed the rest of the way, eyes darting to every shadow for signs of danger. 

At the end of her drive she found her light wasn’t just off - it had been smashed.

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I met Anna through a case referred to BRITE. In this case, Anna was the ‘harmed party’, the victim. In the traditional justice system, Anna isn’t a part of the conversation. Anna is literally left in the dark as the courts deal with the responsible person, the offender. Year over year, 80% of our cases have a victim who is impacted by a crime. 

In a restorative justice circle, Anna has a voice. You give her agency with your support. 

Restorative justice honors Anna as an integral part of the process, and commits to resolving harms that arose from the incident:

• Her feeling exposed to danger at that moment. 
• Her panicked thoughts of her family’s safety. 
• The swirling questions like ‘why me’? 
• And of course, the cost of replacing the light. 

Your generous donation today helps folks like Anna have a voice in every aspect of the restorative process until a resolution is reached. A bridge (re)built. 

Your support makes a real difference in the lives of harmed parties like Anna. It prioritizes and amplifies their voice which is not possible in the traditional justice system. Ninety-nine percent of the harmed parties that go through our restorative justice process feel that the responsible person was held accountable and they are able to move forward.

After meeting for a preconference with our compassionate facilitators, I spoke with Anna. She said:

“I wasn’t really sure how this would go. The broken light situation made me feel unsafe and suspicious of my neighbors. But this process is creating an opening for curiosity and trust to come back into my life.”

Thank you. Thank you for giving Anna the chance to be able to forgive and move forward with compassion, empathy, and courage.