This piece in Vermont Business Magazine about Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and others introducing the Senate companion to the House-passed Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization mentions the NCORJ and has quotes from the NCORJ’s Stephanie Clark and Lindsey Pointer.

Stephanie Clark, Director of the National Center on Restorative Justice, said: “The National Center on Restorative Justice is encouraged by the Senate’s inclusion of a restorative practices pilot program in their introduction of the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization. This marks a pivotal moment that recognizes the importance of expanding options available to harmed parties or victims, including voluntary restorative processes.”

Dr. Lindsey Pointer, Associate Director of the National Center on Restorative Justice, said: “Restorative justice practices provide an avenue for healing and accountability in the wake of significant harm. In cases of domestic and sexual violence in particular, having an optional community-based restorative approach provides a way for harmed parties to voice the impacts they’ve experienced and their needs moving forward.”