Get Involved: Restorative Justice - Community Member Participant
Community Member Participant
- Description:
Community members bring the voice of the broader community into restorative processes. Your perspective helps participants understand how their actions affect the people and places around them, and your presence shows that the community supports accountability and repair.
- Key Responsibilities & Activities:
- Attend a brief orientation before your first session
- Participate in restorative circles or conferences as a community representative
- Share how the harm affects the community and what repair could look like
- Help shape agreements alongside participants and facilitators
- Maintain strict confidentiality about everything shared during the process
- Time Commitment:
About 2-3 hours per session, plus a one-time 2 hour orientation. You choose which opportunities fit your schedule, with no minimum number of sessions required.
- Impact:
Your voice helps participants see that their actions reach beyond the people directly involved. Community members help build agreements that are meaningful and reflect community values, strengthening trust between residents and the justice system.
- Requirements:
- Must be 18 or older
- A connection to the County as a resident, worker, or community member
- A signed confidentiality agreement
- Openness to listening without judgment
- No prior connection to the parties involved in a given case
- Volunteer Benefits:
- A direct way to support accountability and healing in your community
- Insight into how restorative justice works in practice
- Flexible scheduling that fits your availability
- A pathway to facilitator training if you want to deepen your involvement