By Meghan Higgins | Development Officer
Dear donors,
We are excited to share a story with you about an OurRJ participant your donation helped support!
At just 12, Jade was arrested outside of her home. Throughout her 12 years, Jade had experienced significant trauma and had cycled through the foster care system for around 5 years until being adopted at 7. When Jade entered a dispute police were having with someone in her neighborhood, officers restrained Jade. This action triggered her trauma-related anxiety, and Jade responded by struggling against the police. They arrested her.
According to Program Planner Mariam Levy, upon first meeting Jade and discussing the possibility of sitting in a circle with the police who arrested her, Jade seemed resistant. When asked if there was anything she would have done differently the day of her arrest, Jade's response was a firm, "No."
Yet by the end of the restorative justice process, all who had participated in the circles reported a profound sense of resolution and transformation. The lead police officer in the case in particular expressed her gratitude for the process. Though initially skeptical about the circle process, the officer remarked after completing the circle, "This is not the same kid."
According to Mariam, the officer told Jade, "I am so impressed with you, this is like a whole different person I’m seeing." As the group discussed the terms of Jade's Reparation Agreement, the police officer said, "I’d really like to keep in touch with you and check in with you every week."
Jade's response: "Can we make it twice a week?"
Jade is now working on completing the terms of her Reparation Agreement and her teachers report that she has been active and engaged in school. Jade has is even serving as a peer leader, helping her school counselor lead emotional intelligence classes and modeling the skills she learned during the restorative justice circle process.
According to Mariam, "Seeing Jade in the role of leader and as a proud student, instead of a shamed and punished child, is really incredible."
Thanks to you, OurRJ will be able to provide this transformational experience to more young people, their families, and community members. Your support is helping to usher in a major paradigm shift in Massachusetts around how we address youth offending, school discipline, and family conflict. On behalf of our young people, thank you for your generous contribution.
Sincerely,
Our Restorative Justice
P.S. Didn't get a chance to donate to OurRJ's last Global Giving campaign? Consider supporting our upcoming March Accelerator campaign! This campaign will go towards supporting OurRJ's innovative new case for Children Requiring Assistance (CRA) cases, noncriminal status offense cases that often emerge out of complex school and family conflicts. Head over to our new project page and between now and the campaign's kick off on March 1, spread the word on social media!
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