Community Health Restored:  In the midst of tragedy and unspeakable sorrow

restorative justice is of utmost importance

In times of manmade catastrophre restorative justice is of utmost importance

In post war environments restorative justice is of utmost importance

C4C's Purpose is to educate State & Community on Restorative Justice

A proactive approach to help State & Community have increased health and security

Click here for associated link to C4C Net Werks, Inc. 

 Author(s): Brenya Twumasi, MA., JD. and ret Col Richard Lantry, PhD

The steps of Restorative Justice include:

*Community engagement

* Diverse Community education

*  An understanding that the legal system and legal process stays in place.

* A deep appreciation of the exsiting Legal process and Criminal Justice process

* A deep appreciation of Law Enforcement as the critical Gatekeeper and first point of contact

* An understanding that  the offender is adjudicated through the legal process - Note the exsiting system stays in place.

*Community stakeholders must come together (includes trusted faith leaders, social workers,

educators, law enforcement, lawyers, judges, parents, community leaders).

* Community education take place with invloved stakeholders.

*Law enforcement officers have a primary role in this process.  Law Enforcement require support in the form of resources. 

* Increased presence of Law enforcement within the community through positive policing.

*Positive policing, which is a integral part of this process, is encouraged.

* Paid Counseling of victim takes place over a period of at least a year

* Counseling of all affected community stakeholders takes place (over a said period of time); to return community to status quo. This is  a multifaceted and is approached proactively.

* After legal process has been effected and only when victim ready (could take years, or never) a face-to-

face meeting of offender and victim could be arranged for sincere apology.

*Once sanction is completed (for example, time served through prison sentencing), released offender is successfully reintegrated  into community.

adapted from The Star Thrower

by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."