By Judge Darlene O’Brien
Washtenaw County Trial Court
Washtenaw County recently had the pleasure of joining in a discussion with a former prosecuting attorney from Des Moines, Fred Van Liew. I was fortunate to attend a recent breakfast session at Washtenaw County’s 200 N. Main building.
In Des Moines, the prosecutor’s office created victim liaison positions. Upon request of a victim, a liaison could set up a restorative justice conference that included the person/s harmed as well as the person who caused the harm. Victim mediation sessions often occur before sentencing. In some circumstances, however, restorative meetings to consider the harm done and what the offender can do to ameliorate that harm are arranged prior to the prosecutor formally filing criminal charges. It is important to note that restorative sessions do not occur if the individual harmed is not amenable, nor in cases of domestic violence.
Seated next to me was a bright engaging woman whose mother was killed when a 15-year-old unlicensed driver T-boned her car at an intersection. She detailed her journey as a “victim” (a term she disliked) who appeared at each of the youth’s hearings to address the need for continuing his detention. Finding the court proceedings to be wanting, she asked to meet the youth responsible for cutting short her mother’s life. That meeting had a dramatic impact on both the woman and the offender. Her narrative provided a compelling example in favor of victim impact conferencing.
“Justice involves the victim, the offender, and the community in a search for solutions which promote repair, reconciliation, and reassurance.”
“Crime is a violation of people and relationships. It creates obligations to make things right.” ~ Howard Zehr
A recently released Harvard study reports that nearly half of 18-29-year-old millennials believe that America’s criminal justice system is unfair. Many acknowledge that our system of justice is not perfect, but laude it as one of the best in the world. Can it be improved? Could restorative justice practices help rebuild confidence in our criminal justice system while reducing recidivism and curbing costs?
Washtenaw County recently had the pleasure of joining in a discussion with a former prosecuting attorney from Des Moines, Fred Van Liew. I was fortunate to attend a recent breakfast session at Washtenaw County’s 200 N. Main building.
Currently Mr. Van Liew serves as the restorative practices coordinator for the Portland Center for Restorative Justice in Portland, Me. His appearance in Washtenaw was sponsored by University of Michigan’s School of Social Work, the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice, Healing Communities, Friends of Restorative Justice of Washtenaw County, the Juvenile Justice Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School, Students Organized Against Prisons, the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, St. Mary’s Church of Chelsea, Church of the Good Shepard UCC, St. Francis of Assisi Church, Challenging Racism and the Social Justice Council of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor, together with the Prison Creative Arts Project.
Mr. Van Liew discussed his 15-year experience as a prosecuting attorney involved in bringing restorative justice and victim offender conferencing to Des Moines, which is located in a county with a population roughly comparable to Washtenaw’s.
In Des Moines, the prosecutor’s office created victim liaison positions. Upon request of a victim, a liaison could set up a restorative justice conference that included the person/s harmed as well as the person who caused the harm. Victim mediation sessions often occur before sentencing. In some circumstances, however, restorative meetings to consider the harm done and what the offender can do to ameliorate that harm are arranged prior to the prosecutor formally filing criminal charges. It is important to note that restorative sessions do not occur if the individual harmed is not amenable, nor in cases of domestic violence.
Seated next to me was a bright engaging woman whose mother was killed when a 15-year-old unlicensed driver T-boned her car at an intersection. She detailed her journey as a “victim” (a term she disliked) who appeared at each of the youth’s hearings to address the need for continuing his detention. Finding the court proceedings to be wanting, she asked to meet the youth responsible for cutting short her mother’s life. That meeting had a dramatic impact on both the woman and the offender. Her narrative provided a compelling example in favor of victim impact conferencing.
Could Washtenaw County benefit by expanding its current restorative and peacemaking practices beyond family domestic relations and juvenile justice cases into the criminal realm? Mr. Van Liew has opened the conversation and so many facets of our community appear interested in pursuing the potential. I look forward to continue this discussion in more depth subsequently. At this time, I close with another quote from Howard Zehr as presented on the pamphlet provided at the session with Mr. Van Liew:
“Justice involves the victim, the offender, and the community in a search for solutions which promote repair, reconciliation, and reassurance.”
~ Howard Zehr
Editor’s Note: An article on Washtenaw County Judge Timothy Connors to appear in the next issue of the Grand Rapids Legal News will discuss the county’s Peacemaking Court in more depth.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
http://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
