Nearly 60 people turned out Saturday to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington to attend the Community Forum on Restorative Justice that David sponsored along with the Alexandria League of Women Voters and Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) of Alexandria and Arlington.
Phyllis Lawrence, a local restorative justice consultant and advocate, asked David to convene the forum as a way to educate a range of stakeholders about the possibilities of restorative justice and to create dialogue about the issue.
“Phyllis has been kind enough to give me some credit for today’s event, but this really was her brainchild and we owe her our thanks for bringing us all together around this issue,” said David. “It’s clear from the evidence that restorative justice is a smarter approach to demanding accountability from offenders while also better serving victims of crime and working to repair and strengthen the community as a whole. The goal of this forum is to learn, to share ideas, and to see how we might apply some of these approaches to strengthening our Alexandria and Arlington community.”
Attending the forum were a wide range of professionals working in criminal justice, such as prosecution and defense attorneys, probation, parole, corrections, and law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and service providers to victims and offenders and their families. Several area judges and law enforcement representatives also attended.
For more information about restorative justice, click here.
