The Restorative Justice Project Of The Midcoast

Mission Statement: The Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast promotes fundamental change in the justice system and schools. Our responses to crime and wrongdoing seek renewal and safety for the community, support and healing for victims and accountability and reintegration of the offender.

History: In 2003 Dr. T. Richard Snyder met with Waldo County Sheriff Scott Story to explore his interest in restorative justice. With Story's support, Snyder gathered together a small steering committee that worked for more than a year to create the Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast. In 2005 a part-time coordinator was hired and work began with inmates at the Waldo County Jail, juvenile offenders awaiting court hearings, and students at the Troy Howard Middle School in Belfast. In 2007 RJP expanded to include Knox County. In 2010, with the opening in Belfast of the new Maine Coastal Regional Reentry Center, RJP became involved there with programming and mentoring. RJP's Court Diversion program expanded in 2013 to include both Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties. RJP of the Midcoast currently has more than 60 volunteers, most working as mentors.

The conventional response to crime does not always address the needs of the victim and fails to rehabilitate the offender. The criminal justice system and, increasingly, our schools, focus on laws and rules broken rather than healing the harm that is suffered. The Restorative Justice Project of the Midcoast addresses these issues as well as our country's high incarceration rate by: 1) Helping to repair injury done to victims. 2) Holding offenders accountable and encouraging them to take responsibility for the harm they caused. 3) Offering rehabilitative alternatives to jail or suspension and expulsion from school. 4) Reintegrating offenders into the community. 5) Engaging the community as partners in restorative responses to crime.