Currently, the Eau Claire County Restorative Justice Program offers three programs.

Victim Offender Conferences:
Most youths referred to the Restorative Justice Program begin participation in victim-offender conferencing (VOC). Only offenders willing to accept responsibility for the harm they caused are brought into the program to be held accountable to those they have harmed. VOC’s are meant to be “dialogue driven” where the victims, offenders, and community members have the opportunity to come together to talk about an incident of crime or harmful behavior. With the support of a trained facilitator, any resolution that would repair the harm would be agreed upon between the participants. Victim participation is voluntary and if they chose not to participate, other options exist.

How do I refer a case?
Referrals may come from but are not limited to Juvenile Court Intake, Department of Human Services, the Courts, police departments, probation and parole, victims, parents, and schools. To make a referral, please fill out the referral forms and include any police reports, victim statements, or other related information. Please mail them to the RJ office, and a trained facilitator will handle the rest. If there is a question on the appropriateness of a case, please contact the Restorative Justice office.

For the referral forms, click here.

Accountability Mentoring:
Youths referred for such programming receive one-on-one mentoring focusing on empathy and accountability development. Level of understanding determines the length of involvement. Most youth in the accountability mentoring program were referred for VOC; however, for whatever reason, the case never went to VOC.

Accountability Workshop:
Whether referred for bullying, harassment, other personal offenses or community crimes, youth are exposed to new thinking and decision making processes, and are presented with tools to help them realize how their actions impact those around them. This workshop would be beneficial for any youth struggling with accountability or poor decision making skills.

For referral form, click here. For next workshop dates, click here.