In this powerful conversation, Molly Rowan Leach is joined by Lindsey Frischer (Southwest Community Justice Coalition), Cristina Cabeza (Colorado Coalition for Restorative Justice Practices), and Ames Stenson (Restorative Rainbow Alliance) & Englewood Municipal Court RJ Program) for a deep dive into coalition-building, relational accountability, and the living practice of restorative justice across Colorado.
This is not a theoretical discussion.
It is a grounded, hard-earned exploration of what it takes to build restorative infrastructure — inside systems, beyond systems, and sometimes in partnership with them.
Together, they unpack:
What “community-held restorative justice” actually looks like in practice
Building coalitions across municipalities, courts, and grassroots spaces
Asset mapping and capacity-building as alternatives to over-reliance on punishment
Moving “at the speed of trust”
Why restorative justice must actively dismantle harm — not replicate it
The creation and impact of Colorado’s updated RJ Practitioner Guidelines
The groundbreaking work of the Restorative Rainbow Alliance and LGBTQ+ inclusion in restorative practice
As Cristina reminds us, community is not idyllic or abstract:
“Community holds all of it.”
From statewide policy work to small-town circle practice, this episode reveals how justice becomes sustainable when it is relational, intentional, and collectively stewarded.
You’ll hear how community agreements, harm processes, and values-based organizing create real alternatives to punitive systems — and how restorative justice expands when it embraces transformative justice, equity, and shared power.
This conversation is a masterclass in what it means to build justice together.
If this episode moves you, please share it widely.
Grassroots led stories shift culture.
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Host: Founder & Executive Producer Molly Rowan Leach (she/her), and Post Production Credits to our Social Media and Marketing Manager Logan Ward (he/him), who is also an accomplished Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker (Remarkable, 2024)
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Public Dialogue On Justice
Restorative Justice on the Rise is an international live dialogue via Webcast and Telecouncil platform that reaches an international constituency of invididuals, organizations, professionals, academics, practitioners, and more. The mission is to provide connection, advocacy, education and inspired action as a public service to individuals and communities seeking to proactively improve relationships and structures within their spheres and our world.