The Lakes Area Restorative Justice Project is a nonprofit Crow Wing County organization whose mission is to restore community by involving juveniles who have caused harm, the people who were harmed and local citizens in a process that addresses the needs of the victim, holds the youth accountable for restoration and promotes healing for all.
The catch is, it takes trained volunteers to handle the cases and a minimum of 15 are needed to take the three-day training Feb. 24-26. The training will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Brainerd Public Library.
Volunteers need only be age 18; have their own transportation; have a desire to help their community, including youth, victims and families; complete 24 hours of training; and undergo four ongoing trainings per year.
By keeping the juvenile out of the court system, everybody is a winner - the perpetrator, the victim and the community.
LARJP gets the victim involved. Victims have an opportunity to express their feelings and get answers to their questions.
Restorative Justice holds offenders accountable for the harm they caused in a direct and timely way. It also involves the community find solutions to behaviors that cause harm.
In Pequot Lakes, the program is supported by Police Chief Jerry Braam. Crow Wing County judges also support the program. But it can't happen without volunteers.
Stephanie Haider, LARJP, said she has handled 38 cases in the last six months, which was way over the board's predictions. Many were complicated and most involved two or more offenders.
"All the cases have gone exceptionally well," Haider said. "Sometime juvenile offenders and their parents are under the false impression that a juvenile court sentence is not going to impact the juvenile's life. The record may be closed, but it is there and should at some later time the offender seek a job involving security, the sentence will be found out."
Most LARJP referrals come from schools and are a diversion from going to court. Some cases are referred to LARJP by the court. Either way, it can be a life-changing event for the offender, Haider said.
"Admitting that you did something wrong and facing the person harmed is hard," she said. "Making restitution and doing the right thing is very important."
An offender who admitted to a theft and expressed regret over the theft was overwhelmed by what had happened, Haider said.
"At first there was denial," Haider said. "This person couldn't believe it had happened. It was quite an awakening. The student admitted the theft and agreed to make restitution."
Harder said, "I told the student that we all make mistakes, but you straightened it out. You did the right thing."
A lesson was learned. A student accepted responsibility for a bad choice. The victim will be compensated. And two students did not appear in court.
Now that's a win-win. You can make a difference. Be a Lakes Area Restorative Justice Project volunteer. Help youngsters and the community. For more information or to get an application to volunteer, e-mail Stephanie Haider at stephaider@aol.com. Or call Janet at the Pequot Lakes Police Department at568-8111.
