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Restorative Justice & Community Accountability Boards
    
In 2005 Mary Quinn, ssj, changed her ministry in restorative justice to answer a call to serve as the president of our congregation. Before and since then she has encouraged many sisters to be part of Community Accountability Boards which are a vital part of the work of restorative justice. At a recent appreciation dinner for volunteers in this work we heard from Sheriff Michael Ashe, James Kelleher, and Monica Dominique, coordinators of CAB, how important this volunteer work is for local communities and former inmates.

Community Accountability Boards meet face to face with an offender once a month for four months. He or she is challenged to examine his/her actions, take responsibility for those actions, and explore how those actions have affected victims as well as other people in the community, themselves, and their family. Assignments are given to the offenders each month by members of the board. In turn the offenders spend time writing answers to the assignments and sharing them with the board at the next month's meeting. The time spent doing the assignments and the sharing that follows allows for conversations and future choices that might be impossible to do without the concern of CAB volunteer community members.

One of the most important principles to remember in this work is that the boards of volunteers take a non-judgmental stance during the time spent with the offenders. In fact, the offenders have already been judged and have been incarcerated for their crime and have chosen to be part of this program. Board members are also asked to keep whatever is shared at the meeting only for those present.

Due to many changes in our lives, several of our sisters who were volunteers are no longer able to be part of this program. Perhaps there are others, including associates and agregees, or partners in ministry who might consider this very important work within their own communities. The basic commitment for volunteers is a meeting once a month facilitated by a staff member from the Sheriff’s department. The two hour a.m. and/or p.m. (your choice) meetings are held in the communities of Chicopee, Holyoke, and Springfield.

If anyone would like further information about this program please feel free to call or e-mail the Justice & Peace Office. rmulcahy@ssjspringfield.com

This article appeared in Mission an online newsletter of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield.  It was written by Roberta Mulcahy, Justice and Peace Coordinator.