Orange County NC Website
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21 <br /> harm and know that they can be reintegrated back into their community as much as possible. In general <br /> youth tend to see punishment as a passive experience, see themselves as victims, and dwell on their <br /> feelings. <br /> Restorative justice happens through restorative practices. These practices are drawn from the fields of <br /> education, psychology, social work, organizational development and leadership. Human beings are <br /> happier, more cooperative, more productive, and more likely to make positive changes in their behavior <br /> when those in position of authority do things with them rather than to or for them to. <br /> Effective July 1, 2022, there are five new restorative practice program types that JCPC providers will be <br /> able to offer: Peer Accountability Circles; Responsive Circles; Victim-Youth Conferencing; Family <br /> Group Conferencing; and Responsive Circles. <br /> Q: Will we have access to this presentation? <br /> A: Yes. It will be shared along with the RJ guidebook. <br /> Q: What programs are we actually using in Orange County? Are we using them prior to court <br /> involvement or post court involvement? <br /> A: Referrals to Dispute Settlement Center for restorative practices can be made at any point. Primarily <br /> their services has been used as diversion over the last few years, especially in the schools. <br /> Program Updates <br /> Dispute Settlement Center—We have received three referrals since the beginning of the fiscal year, which <br /> is a big start. The referrals have been for incidences of pretty serious harm. <br /> Q: What stage in the process did you get those referrals and what were the charges? <br /> A: To the best of my knowledge, two of them involved weapons, at least one was at adjudication and the <br /> other was a diversion that was pled down to a lower offense. All youth were age 14 and up. Val will <br /> confirm the information and send an email. <br /> The Exchange Club—Jerrell will be leaving on August 12 and they are currently in the hiring process. We <br /> just started having our PTS group. Of the referrals received, two were able to be engaged. Three are <br /> enrolled in PTS group and there are three open referrals they are trying to reach, which would give them a <br /> total of six for group. For PTS in home, they have four active and have terminated four, three of which <br /> were unsuccessful—one moved out of the area and the other two were having a difficult time <br /> participating. <br /> Q: It sounds like you are having difficulty contacting people. Do you know why there is difficulty <br /> reaching them or do you have a remedy? <br /> A: A couple staff members went out in the field to try to make contact and both were unsuccessful. So, <br /> we don't know if it's due to the summer break and maybe when school starts back up parents will be <br /> easier to contact. <br /> Q: Where are you referral from? <br /> A: We do have some referrals from JJ, but the ones they are having difficulty reaching are from truancy. <br /> Q: With the schools being out, is the social worker or a contact with the school available to help <br /> make a connection with the client? <br /> A: It seems like the school social workers are out for the summer due to receiving away message and it <br /> appears that Avis Barnes is the only one covering during the summer. <br />