Reparative Boards and
Reparative Probation
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Click here for a schedule of Montpelier Reparative Board Meetings |
Reparative Probation is a sentence ordered by the Court that requires someone convicted of a crime to participate in a reparative process in which he or she is asked to
- admit wrongdoing and talk about it,
- learn about the effects of the crime on others, and
- work with others to design and carry out a plan for making amends and for making better choices in the future.
A
Reparative Board is a group of four to six community volunteers who conduct a meeting and represent the community. Board members help everyone communicate and make the meeting as comfortable as possible. Meetings are held in a community setting. They are structured, but informal.
Victims/survivors of a crime are invited to ask questions, let the person who offended know how the crime affected them and/or help create a plan for making amends. The choices available to the people affected by a crime include
- attend a meeting and participate in the conversation,
- give information in writing to be shared with the person who offended,
- give information in writing to Board members only, or
- not participate at all.
How it Makes a Difference
Studies show that people who are placed on reparative probation instead of traditional probation are less likely to re-offend. In Vermont, researchers showed that those on reparative probation were 23 percent less likely to commit another crime than those sentenced to traditional probation, and were 12 percent less likely to commit another crime after probation ended. The authors of "
Reparative versus Standard Probation: Community Justice Outcomes" tracked five-year reoffending rates of more than 9,000 persons convicted of misdemeanor crimes between 1998-2000.
The Basics of a Reparative Board Meeting
Purpose
- Have a conversation about what happened.
- Give victims/survivors a chance to ask questions and tell about how they have been harmed.
- Focus on the effect of the wrongdoing--on individuals and community.
- Work together on a plan for the person who has offended to do what he/she can to make amends for the past and make better choices for the future.
What happens at a meeting
- Community volunteers run the meeting, which lasts about an hour.
- Everyone has a chance to talk in turn.
The meeting is about
- what happened at the time of offense,
- who was affected,
- how these people were affected,
- how the community was affected,
- what the person who offended will do to make amends, and
- what the person who offended will do to keep from committing future offenses.
The participants at the Reparative Board meeting work together to write an agreement that may include activities such as
- attend a "victim impact" class,
- write letters of explanation and apology,
- fix damaged property, and
- do volunteer work to create a connection with community.
What happens after the meeting
- Unless decided otherwise, the person who offended will have three months to complete activities included in the Reparative Agreement.
- The person who offended returns to a Review Meeting to show that he or she did everything in the Reparative Agreement.
- Victims/survivors are invited to the Review Meeting.
People affected by a crime who have participated in a Reparative Process have said
"I believe this person truly saw the error of her ways."
"I really don't think we'll have a repeat offense . . ."
"I found peace with the incident and with all involved."
If you are interested in volunteering to be a Reparative Board member, click here.
