The Challenge
Despite notable gains in criminal and youth justice reform in the last decade—including Supreme Court decisions, adolescent brain science developments, and the rise of community-based programs—a growing retreat from evidence-based knowledge and innovation is undermining responses to violence that center healing for the people and communities most impacted by crime. Punitive narratives and policies have particular momentum in this moment, while practices such as restorative justice, which offer healing and transformation to communities impacted by crime, are not widely known or understood. To meet this moment, it is necessary to elevate and amplify restorative principles—which focus on reconciliation between people who cause harm and those who are harmed—to demonstrate they are indeed needed now more than ever to bring healing to our communities, and an end to the cycle of crime and punishment.
The Project
Through this Stoneleigh Fellowship, Jody Kent Lavy will work with the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth to build political will for, and seek to expand the use and availability of, restorative justice practices in cases of serious harm involving youth. This project is rooted in the belief that our current system has perpetuated harm against those most impacted by crime (including those responsible and those harmed) and failed to keep us safe. In order to move to another approach, we must do more than simply point out the shortcomings of the current system. We must amplify and build momentum and models for more effective practices that advance our shared goals of public safety, healing, and accountability, including in cases of serious crimes involving youth.
Specifically, this Stoneleigh Fellowship will enable Jody to:
- Increase public and policymaker understanding and support for restorative justice practices for youth charged with serious crimes.
- Increase the availability of effective restorative justice practice models by disseminating exemplars and partnering with local and national stakeholders.
- Build a community of survivors impacted by youth violence who believe in restorative practices as appropriate tools for responding to harm involving young people and offering healing to survivors.
