Hillary Packer is the Associate Director of Restorative Practices at the Center for Justice Innovation. She works closely with CJI’s other Restorative Justice facilitators, and works to change the way we resolve conflict and address harm.

Thesis overview

Goal: To understand the ways participatory policy research is being done, and to understand what the possibilities may look like in utilizing restorative frameworks and creative interventions to make the research better, and even healing for participants.

Outcome goal: Research and outcomes that are more effective and democratic

Process goal: Design processes for research that empower and provide healing to the participants.

Vision:

Create processes and methods for restorative research

Shift research beyond participatory towards collective healing

Enhance participatory research through restorative frameworks

Questions:

Warm up:

What do you do and what do you love about what you do?

works at CJI and we learn from a couple practices — navajo tradition and teachers and kay pranis

we were trained in community conferencing from maori tradition

the center has other RJ/TJ efforrts but hillarys locatino is currently diversion and is in court setting

currently working on car crash cases

info dissemination — interesection of IPV and RJ

love responding to harm that aligns with what i think should happen

still moving to have the opportunity to meet people and respond and hold space without pathologizing them. using my innate and present natural tendencies of compassion and togetherness. things we would do if we didnt live in a world where we beleived we were seperate from each other

giving peopel space to tell the truth. a gift. as it turns out it is very healing and unburdening to tell the truth about something

tremendous power in these small things i do just as a person

High level:

How do practitioners of RJ hold safe space for people? Why is this important? Tell me about why this format is effective.

the circle itself does alot of work. the grounding helps but its the cirlce. conferencing helps but it just doesnt do it like a circle.

we do work hard to make a non judgmental space. it feels distinct in every process. what allows for it is that there are other people doing it its not just a single person. peopel get to have their own support with them

we have terrible models and circle gives u different model. its about taking away verse adding to things that dont allow u to be vulnerable

Is there something about the way RJ views communication and relationships that may be helpful for the way research is done?

the thnig RJ is saying is our relationships do alot of work and also things can be communicated

i want reserach to hear the tsories about waht happens in circle to peoples bodies. to the relationships

everybody has wisdom. researchers shouldnt decide what is beign reseached

there is a problem in RJ about research. we are just getting peoples feedback. i think good PAR builds relationships amongst a team and between the people implicated.

victim satisfaction is measured and thats fine and an important message, but its also a moving target

people are more inclined to do things that they had a say in in terms of responsbility and accountability rahter than beign told what to do. is compliance the thing ???

i want people to be well and get what they need

the tsory is: i had this process but i didnt have my basic needs met. so this is as far as this thing can take me

What are some methods of conflict resolution, and community building that you are interested in exploring, but have not gotten the chance to? What are the barriers to doing them?

would love to do Victim offender diologue

How might RJ practitioners be readily apt for doing policy research? What could researchers learn from RJ?

for anyone that does direct service. whoever is doing hte thing that you are researcher will know and is grounded in what actually happens.

someoen to help community build amongst the people and create a space where people can tell the truth

a facilitator could help brainstorm and keep it grounded in the things that we are talking about. its easy to get myopic. if u hold the values of RJ and the collective and the interdependence could mayshift a covnersation away from individualism

we are not conflict averse and that could be helpful

Define Restorative Justice and Restorative Practice? How can this be measured?

RJ should center accoutnability. its more literal.

you can use restorative practices — strangers coming together telling stories talknig about whatever and its a diversion progrma

restorative perspectives as well

PAR on gun violence and possession : gotta make your own heaven

Wrap up:

What would your dream democracy look like? How might that happen? Are there things currently moving us towards your dream?

Other:

How did you come to RJ?

How has RJ helped you?