Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz is the co-director of the Office on Crime and Justice for Mennonite Central Committee.

She serves as consultant and trainer for restorative justice programs having a victim offender mediation component.

She has worked in the field of victim offender mediation since 1984. She is faculty during the Summer Peacebuilding Institute's internationally-attended courses annually.

She has co-authored a curriculum entitled "Victim Offender Conferencing in Pennsylvania's Juvenile Justice System", The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools, and is the author of The Little Book of Victim Offender Conferencing.

She also co-authored with Howard Zehr, pictured above together and with their book What Will Happen To Me which is a portrait of children who have at least one parent incarcerated.

She received her BS in social work from Eastern Mennonite University, where in 2002 she was awarded the Distinguished Service Award. She holds a master of social work from Marywood University.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Alan Huffman is the author of Here I Am , a biography of humanitarian, artist, war photographer, and world citizen as well as Co-Director of the Oscar-nominated
Restrepo (with author and journalist Sebastian Junger), Tim Hetherington.

Huffman's powerful recounting of Hetherington's profound life and tragic death is the topic of this evening's special edition of Restorative Justice on The Rise and we'll explore this extraordinary man's philosophies, the book's journey,

Huffman's insights and unpack some of the difficult questions about our world amidst seemingly endless war and multiple and distinctly coinciding cultural realities. It is an honor to host Mr. Huffman and we have webcast space for those wishing to join in via the worldwide web.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Kathy Kelly co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence, (www.vcnv.org) a campaign to end U.S. military and economic warfare.

During each of nine recent trips to Afghanistan, Kathy Kelly, as an invited guest of the Afghan Peace Volunteers, has lived alongside ordinary Afghan people in a working class neighborhood in Kabul. She and her companions in Voices for Creative Nonviolence believe that "where you stand determines what you see."

They are resolved not to let war sever the bonds of friendship between them and Afghan people whom they've grown to know through successive delegations. Kelly and her companions insist that the U.S. is not waging a "humanitarian war" in Afghanistan.

Kelly has also joined with activists in various regions of the country to protest drone warfare by holding demonstrations outside of U.S. military bases in Nevada, upstate New York, and, most recently, at Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri.

From 1996 - 2003, Voices activists formed 70 delegations that openly defied economic sanctions by bringing medicines to children and families in Iraq. Kathy and her companions lived in Baghdad throughout the 2003 "Shock and Awe" bombing. They have also lived alongside people during warfare in Gaza, Lebanon, Bosnia and Nicaragua.

She was sentenced to one year in federal prison for planting corn on nuclear missile silo sites (1988-89) and spent three months in prison, in 2004, for crossing the line at

Fort Benning's military training school. As a war tax refuser, she has refused payment of all forms of federal income tax since 1980.
For more information visit: http://vcnv.org/speaker-bio/kathy-kelly

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Author of Dreams from the Monster Factory: A Tale of Prison, Redemption and One Woman's Fight to Restore Justice to All and founder of RSVP (Resolve to Stop the Violence Project)

A nationally recognized expert in criminal justice reform with 30 years of frontline experience as a lawyer, advocate and consultant, Sunny Schwartz has spent her career navigating all levels of the system and pioneering new policy initiatives for prisoner's programs, as well as alternatives to incarceration. She is the author of Dreams from the Monster Factory, Hard cover Published 2009, Paperback version published 2010, which gives a comprehensive insider's perspective on America's failing prison system and recounts her own real-world implementation of a targeted strategy that both saves taxpayers' money and dramatically reduces recidivism.

Sunny directs the design and operation of prisoner programs in six county jails. During her tenure, she has made significant changes to traditional incarceration operations, transitioning from an ineffectual system rooted in idling and "downtime" to one that requires inmates to participate in educational, vocational and therapeutic programs 10 hours a day, five days a week. The specific goals of these programs are to facilitate successful reentry into society in a way that addresses the gaps and shortcomings of the old system (and to decrease further victimization on individuals and our community as a whole.)

Sunny also designed and established the Resolve To Stop the Violence Project (RSVP). A nationally renowned, award-winning restorative justice program, RSVP unites diverse community organizations and individuals to collaborate on the first-in-the nation correctional program offering services to everyone harmed by violence: victims, offenders, and communities, alike. As part of the program, Schwartz chartered a citywide Survivor Restoration Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from local government agencies, non-profit organizations and the interfaith community. Her efforts to reform the criminal justice system and minimize crime through RSVP have been featured on national television, with appearances on the Discovery Channel, PBS, Larry King Live and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her program is currently being examined for replication in various cities throughout the United States, as well as in New Zealand, Poland and Singapore. In July of 2004, RSVP was the recipient of the prestigious "Oscar's in Government" Innovations in Government Award, sponsored by the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University and the Ash Institute.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

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

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