The Maine Department of Corrections (DOC) is looking to spend nearly $400,000 on sponsoring a “restorative justice” program for juvenile criminal offenders.
On April 30, the Maine DOC posted a notice of their intent to waive competitive bidding on a proposed $375,000 grant to the Portland-based “restorative justice” training organization Maine Youth Court — aka Youth-Led Justice (YLJ).
“The [DOC] has the continued need for a community-based intervention program that will reduce the recidivism rate while also providing youth the skills and knowledge necessary to safely avoid future contact with the DOC,” grant coordinator for the Maine DOC Sonja Charest wrote in the procurement justification form.
“The mission of DOC is to promote public safety by ensuring that juveniles under DOC jurisdiction are provided with risk-focused interventions, quality treatment, and other services that teach skills and competencies; strengthen pro social behaviors and require accountability to victims and communities,” Charest wrote.
According to Charest, YLJ is the only organization in Cumberland, Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Counties that “trains youth to facilitate restorative circles for their peers.”
A “restorative circle,” Charest wrote, involves “peer facilitators” using a script to ask “restorative questions” and to help create a juvenile in the program to create a “restorative plan for accountability.”
The description of the “restorative circle” on YLJ’s website describes a juvenile in the program sitting in a circle with a family member, YLK staff, a “supportive adult,” and the “person most impacted/victim.”
“Conversations within a YLJ restorative circle are organic and shaped by circle participants. Each person’s participation in a circle is different, and each conversation taking place in a restorative circle are also different,” YLJ’s description of the program reads.
“The purpose of the circle is not to place blame or shame on any member,” it continues. “Rather, our conversations are shaped by discussing who has been hurt, what are their needs, who is responsible for mending the caused harm, and how circle participants can move towards the vision / intention(s) that are discussed in the circle.”
Participants in the “restorative circle” assist the juvenile in forming a three-month “restorative plan” during which time they have regular check-ins with YLJ staff.
According to the YLJ website, the organization is currently hiring for an executive director position.
The YLJ’s landing page includes a “Land Acknowledgement,” affirmation of their commitment to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, and a call for an immediate ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
YLJ acts as a diversionary program, to which juvenile courts, law enforcement or school districts may send a juvenile offender as an alternative to other forms of discipline or punishment.
“A restorative justice approach means that healing and accountability– rather than punitive discipline and exclusion— form the path to justice,” the organization states on their website.
The organization works with youths aged between 11 and 18 years old.
Chaos is The Plan. I will not be traveling to Maine. Too deadly.
Sen. Susan Collins is from Maine. Too stupid.
Bunch of touchy feelings psychobabble.
It won’t do anything except keep juvies hanging out together instead of being so concerned about harsher sentences that the get a whole new list of friends.
This is the beginning of the leftists” dream of closing juvenile jails.
Robert
This is why I don’t feel bad when a punk kid is shot dead.
“The mission of DOC is to promote public safety by ensuring that juveniles under DOC jurisdiction are provided with risk-focused interventions, quality treatment, and other services that teach skills and competencies; strengthen pro social behaviors and require accountability to victims and communities,”
So the state becomes the surrogate parents? That’s their real goal while using taxpayer money to fund their scheme.
…$392,000 goes to the paper pushers to implement the plan. Another useless tax sucking government payday!
Another useless kumbya petting zoo BS with no ‘cure’ no effort to rehabilitate sitting in a circle telling them what they want to hear and everything is great. Yeah, that’s a joke at taxpayers expense! Just more socialist/communist psycho babble.