Peace Building and Community Partnerships

Restorative Justice involves those affected by an offense in a process that focuses on the needs of the victims and the community. It encourages offenders to take responsibility for their actions and allows all those involved to work towards addressing the needs of the victim, the causes and consequences of the offense, as well as starting the process of restoration for both the victim and the offender.

The Piedmont Dispute Resolution Center’s restorative justice conferences—facilitated face-to-face meetings between victims, offenders and their support persons—have been underway since 1997. Restorative justice conferences are managed by facilitators who have been trained and approved by the Center. Working with juvenile and adult offenders, referrals come from the courts, probation, law enforcement, schools, and the public.

A primary objective of the restorative justice process is to enable victims to participate in the criminal justice system. It is hoped that confronting the offender, seeking recognition and reparation for the harm caused by the offense, and gaining an understanding of the events that occurred will contribute to the victim’s recovery from the impact of the offense on their lives. Participation is always voluntary for the victim.

This process actively includes the offender. The restorative justice process encourages offenders to face up to what they have done and take responsibility for their actions. Restorative justice conferences increase the chances of changing the behavior of offenders who have directly faced the harm they have caused.

Yearning for some quality social interaction in a safe, structured setting? You are not alone!

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “social connection is a fundamental human need, as essential to survival as food, water and shelter” and “increasing social connection can enhance life satisfaction, educational attainment, and performance in the workplace.”  

CHATS offers a way to counteract the growing lack of quality social connection in our communities and our homes. The US Surgeon General issued an advisory on the epidemic of loneliness, citing studies showing that we are feeling less connected, less trusting, and are spending less time engaged with friends in person. And while social media helps keep us connected when we cannot meet in person it is not a full substitute, leading famed psychotherapist and author Esther Perel to quip, “I have a thousand friends, but not a single person to feed my cat.”

The ability to connect is at the heart of helping our community. CHATS is a facilitated process designed to deepen our appreciation and understanding of others through interesting conversations and activities. These sessions are opportunities to foster genuine connections. They are simple, hands-on, and far more engaging, fulfilling, and fun than can be explained on paper. You will get to connect with others in a setting where the rules are clear, the playing field is level, and the risk is minimized. You may also enjoy a few fascinating insights and discover some “AHAs” along the way.

Each CHATS session is different, so join us for as many as you want! Or reach out to us to plan CHATS for your organization. We envision CHATS as a wonderful option to build connection in businesses, classrooms, congregations, social groups, and more! For more information or to sign up for an upcoming CHATS session, please contact Lisa Barkema by email (lbarkema@piedmontpeace.org) or phone (540-347-6650).

Many of America’s communities struggle to address complex issues critical to their environmental, social and economic health. Public officials and civic-minded community members find few forums that bring people together to seek common and higher ground; indeed, the formal structure of public hearings and judicial and administrative appeals often exacerbates rather than resolves conflict.

In response to the need for effective and inclusive decision-making processes, Virginia’s community mediation centers have developed a Community Solutions program.

Mediation provides neighbors an opportunity to speak, listen, and work together to resolve conflicts and repair relationships. Issues may include noise, restricted covenants, boundaries, pets, parking, and many others.

When law enforcement is called to quell a disturbance, the situation may not warrant arrests. This program is a resource to police in helping citizens resolve a myriad of conflicts including neighborhood disputes where traditional adversarial dispute resolution methods such as litigation may only exacerbate the conflict.

The program also provides specialized workshops during which police and citizens learn problem-solving skills together and improve their relationships.