A new approach to criminal justice is gaining worldwide support and San Quentin is an important part of the movement, a university psychology professor told a recent symposium.
“The Restorative Justice movement is spreading across the world, and you guys are an important part of the program,” said keynote speaker Dacher Keltner, PhD., of the University of California at Berkeley. He explained the intersection of his Berkeley research and concepts of the Restorative Justice movement.
Restorative Justice promotes values such as respect, care, trust and humility.
The March 8 symposium was attended by San Quentin’s Restorative Justice community, which includes many outside volunteers and sponsors. Principal oversight of the San Quentin program is in the hands of Mary Elliott, Ph.D. She said the movement of Restorative Justice is non-denominational, and not affiliated with any organization.
As liaison between the Berkeley Law School and San Quentin, Elliott advocates for the San Quentin project and connects with over 60 other organizations about Restorative Justice.
Elliot pointed out the differences between traditional approaches to justice and the Restorative Justice approach. She said the criminal justice system is retributive and seeks justice through punishment, blame and administering pain.
She also said, “The current system tends to exclude the victims” by setting up an adversarial system between the state and the offender.
In the Restorative Justice approach, justice is sought by identifying the needs of the stakeholders and seeking repair by promoting responsibility and healing on all sides. It prescribes cooperative dialogue among persons most affected, which include the victims, offenders and the community.
Keltner runs a 500 person laboratory at Berkeley called the Greater Good Science Center.
With hundreds of people doing research in areas such as care, sympathy and communication by the medium of voice, many of the studies involve subjects which are used regularly in the Restorative Justice programs. One of the most important is the emotion of care.
“The science of care” studies the effects of care upon various human interactions and its resulting effects. Keltner indicated the emotion of “care” is very important in making decisions. He spoke of breakthroughs in the study of “sympathy,” for example.
According to Elliott, the mission statement of the project at San Quentin is to encourage Restorative Justice principles, processes and goals with all the stakeholders. That means that offenders, victims and others impacted by a crime are part of the solution. Listening to and understanding the other party is very important to the healing process, she said.
“The United States is the world’s biggest human rights violator, and the biggest violations are in American prisons,” commented a volunteer sponsor, Yoyo Tchoukleva.
Sponsor Rose Elizondo has been part of the San Quentin project for eight years. She is a professional mediator and says that we all need to be movement builders. “Building the Restorative Justice program around the world” is a key to changing the world, she said. Elizondo said that story telling is powerful, and “nothing is more powerful than when a victim tells their story.”
According to Keltner, the healing offered by the Restorative Justice not only heals the mind, but it is good for one’s body and the entire web of relationships we each live in.
“The Little Book of Restorative Justice For People In Prison,” a book about the program for inmates, says, “Just one event, such as a crime, can impact a community for years to come.”