Diane Pendola has been a contemplative presence in county jails and prisons since 1986 when she completed her Masters degree in theology. She was deeply influenced by feminist and liberation theologies, with their emphasis on giving voice to the voiceless and bringing the disenfranchised in from the margins to the very center of authentic spiritual life. She also had the great good fortune of being the student of the pre-eminent inter-cultural philosopher, Raimon Panikkar. Through Panikkar she became grounded in a deep respect for dialogue as an open and engaged listening to the perceived "other" as a path to spiritual growth and conversion, not of the other, but of oneself.

Currently, Diane is the Director and Co-founder of Skyline Harvest. Skyline's projects include retreats and workshops at their Eco-contemplative Center, and out-reach through The Lioness Tale Prison Project, called LiT-uPP From the Inside Out. LiT-uPP awakens the inner freedom of women serving long term prison sentences, giving purpose to their lives, and lighting up the prison where they live from the inside out.

This spring Skyline is launching The Compassionate Leaders Program, designed to prepare leaders from across the planet to carry the in-prison program into their countries' jails, prisons and juvenile facilities.

Diane knows all things are possible through the Love that resides at the center of our expanding universe and at the center of our human hearts.

www.econcontemplative.org

www.thelionesstale.com

skyline@gotsky.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

The Peace Alliance is mobilizing its statewide networks to support the passage of HB 13-1254, a bill championed by Rep. Pete Lee that will open the channels for the "Restorative Justice Pilot Project", to be focused on two new RJ programs in the 10th and 19th Judicial Districts in CO, and that will further along the efforts to model a juvenile system in Colorado after the highly successful model in motion for over a decade in New Zealand.

Your support and networking of this bill is critical to its passage, as it is up for vote in mid-April.

Major support for the bill comes from the State Restorative Justice Council and working programs such as the Longmont Community Justice Partnership, one of Colorado's leading RJ programs offering Law Enforcement, Schools, and Community systems that have a proven track record in significantly reducing recidivism and saving the State a massive amount of money by diverting incarceration.

The bill is also supported by a network of Law Enforcement officials who actively speak as advocates for Restorative practices, such as Officer Greg Ruprecht of the Longmont Police Department.

The bill is up for vote mid-April, and its passage depends on mobilizing the power of our local and state networks to take actions

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

About Dr. Zehr:
Widely known as "the grandfather of restorative justice," Zehr began as a practitioner and theorist in restorative justice in the late 1970s at the foundational stage of the field. Zehr continues in this third decade to deepen the principles of restorative justice and grow its practice worldwide. He has led hundreds of events in some 25 countries and 35 states, including trainings and consultations on restorative justice, victim-offender conferencing, judicial reform, and other criminal justice matters. His impact has been especially significant in the United States, Brazil, Japan, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Britain, the Ukraine, and New Zealand, a country that has restructured its juvenile justice system into a family-focused, restorative approach, causing a dramatic drop in youth crime.

A prolific writer and editor, speaker, educator, and photojournalist, Zehr actively mentors other leaders in the field. More than 1,000 people have taken Zehr-taught courses and intensive workshops in restorative justice, many of whom lead their own restorative justice-focused organizations. Zehr was an early advocate of making the needs of victims central to the practice of restorative justice. A core theme in his work is respect for the dignity of all peoples.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Evelyn Zellerer, Ph.D. criminology, is a facilitator, trainer and speaker specializing in restorative justice, peacemaking circles, and conscious governance.

Dr. Zellerer is founder and director of Peace of the Circle - an international organization that works with government, justice agencies, businesses, non-profits, schools and communities.

Over the past 20 years, Evelyn has taught and led projects in diverse cultural contexts, including the Arctic, southern USA, Caribbean, South Africa, Australia and the former Soviet Union.

Evelyn is also a professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

She is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters, and is also now a blogger!

For more information, visit www.peaceofthecircle.com.

Also check out RJ4ALL, a new resource web hub for international educators, academics, and for all things Restorative Justice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Officer Greg Ruprecht had initial doubts (Click Here or on above image to view video) about Restorative justice. He had a powerful transformation of his belief in RJ as he watched it in motion within the police department' systems. We are delighted to host Greg and look forward to exploring his experiences and the statistics he's seen in motion over the arc of the years LPD has implemented RJ. Watch this poignant interview with him thanks to the Longmont Community Justice Partnership of Longmont, CO.

He is a Master Police Officer (MPO) with a municipal Colorado police department, has 11 years police experience and currently serves as a Patrol Officer. MPO Ruprecht's current duties also include service as a department firearms instructor and "Play It Safe Program" elementary school presenter. MPO Ruprecht has previous experience as a SWAT Tactical Team Officer, SWAT Sniper, and Gang and Crime Suppression Unit Officer. MPO Ruprecht is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

9:03am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News
RESTORATIVE justice saves nine times as much money as it costs to run, police say.

Restorative justice was launched as a pilot scheme in east Bolton in 2009, then rolled out by police across Greater Manchester the following year after it was deemed a success.

Learn More

Jesse conceptualized and runs the Beyond Bars campaign to curb mass incarceration.

His work includes strategic planning, producing videos, writing articles, and forging partnerships with groups working to make a positive difference in this field.

Previously a political campaign staffer and communications strategist for progressive causes, his work has covered an array of policy areas including climate change, campaign finance, drug treatment, and funding for social services.

Jesse was also the founding director of Faithful Democrats, a group that worked to reclaim the national values debate from the Religious Right.

He has a master's in public policy from Harvard and a bachelor's in government from Wesleyan University.

You can contact him at jesse [at] bravenewfoundation [dot] org.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Choctaw Sequoyah Trueblood shares Indigenous Perspectives of Restorative Justice

Sequoyah Trueblood (enrolled with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) has contributed selflessly for many years in Canada, and the United States, and around the world as a role model for healthy leadership, bringing peace and joy to the hearts of many. As a pipe carrier and messenger of peace and with an "off the grid" style in his work he offers something most have never experienced: the genuine guidance of a supportive, profoundly inspired and diversely experienced Elder. His consistent ability to touch wounded hearts and sooth troubled minds with compassion and wisdom has endeared Sequoyah to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people alike. He has a varied background in leadership capacities within Indigenous peoples contexts as well as Western institutions including the U.S. Army, World Bank, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Harvard University Program for Extraordinary Experience Research, and Correction Facilities across North America. Paramount in his work is always placing the needs of the young people first. Currently he spends most of his summers living from the Kankurwa Medicine Lodge (Place of Peace) at Cross River Wilderness Centre in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

by Molly Rowan Leach, Huffington Post, February 21st, 2013
A moment in time that nobody expected: the marriage of a football stadium and naming rights with for-profit private prison industry the GEO Group. At this writing, a huge wave of utter discontent and amazement that something like this would ever occur is making waves across the internet and was featured recently in the New York Times.

Learn More

Tonight's weekly edition of Restorative Justice on The Rise features a courageous advocate for RJ, Therese Bartholomew, Director of The Final Gift and of the Restorative Justice Initiative.

Her brother, Steve, was murdered a decade ago and she openly shares via the film, and her life, the journey she has taken in the aftermath of her brother's death

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS