\u201cMaking It Personal\u201d \u2013 that was the name of Marquette Law School\u2019s Restorative Justice 2020 Conference. But this is a time when, like almost everywhere else, no programs are being done in person at the Law School. And making things personal on a computer screen is a challenge.<\/p>\n
So how personal were the four sessions of the conference? Very.<\/p>\n
At the center of four moving, thoughtful, and intimate sessions, posted in the Law School\u2019s web page during the week of Nov. 9 through 12, was Janine Geske, distinguished professor of law (retired) and long-time head of Marquette Law School\u2019s Restorative Justice Initiative.<\/p>\n
She was joined in two sessions by the Rev. Daniel Griffith of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Minneapolis, who is the Wenger Family Fellow of Law, St. Thomas School of Law, and Liaison to Restorative Justice and Healing, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, a leader of restorative efforts in Minnesota and beyond.<\/p>\n
In a third session, three past participants in restorative justice conferences described their own paths from being among those who have been harmed or who did harm to being among the helpers and healers for other people who have been harmed.<\/p>\n
The focus overall was both the power and the process of restorative justice circles, the sessions that include people who have been harmed, those who have harmed them, and others who have been impacted by harmful episodes. The people in circles share personal experiences and thoughts on how they were impacted by situations in which harm occurred. They listen intently to each other, speaking only when they are holding \u201ca talking piece,\u201d an object that is passed around as a way of maintaining respect for each person.<\/p>\n
Geske described how she got involved in restorative justice circles , initially in Wisconsin prisons. \u201cI wanted to do God\u2019s work; I had no agenda,\u201d she said. She found that even among people who had committed major crimes, great healing could occur.<\/p>\n
Circles she said, have ripple effects. Victims are one focus. The harm that occurred is a second focus. And then there is the focus on how to go about repairing the harm.<\/p>\n
Talking circles are based on native traditions from tribes around the world, she said. \u201cThe sense of the circle is that it is a sacred process,\u201d she said. \u201cI have to go in with a still heart because I\u2019m asking people to share and be open.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, the lack of listening in our culture is the foundation of many of our troubles,\u201d Geske said. \u201cIt is only by listening to people\u2019s experiences\u2014not their opinions, but their experiences — that you learn to walk in their shoes.\u201d She added, \u201cIt\u2019s such a gift to hear somebody share that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
What kind of impact do circles have? \u201cI\u2019m just in awe how people who I don\u2019t know, who I have not spent time with, suddenly open themselves up and speak from the heart,\u201d Geske said. \u201cIt really is the hand of God, and I see the impact that has on others. It is miraculous. It\u2019s the foundation, it\u2019s where I experience faith, it\u2019s where I see God.\u201d<\/p>\n
Griffith said restorative justice can lead to transformative justice and to undoing unjust social structures. It can lead to \u201ca more inclusive, a more just and a more humane social order.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that in society broadly, \u201cthe challenge is we have not been able to speak to each other. People put each other in categories rather than see their humanity. This is the beauty of restorative justice. It lays bare humanity.\u201d Through stories about harm come healing, he said.<\/p>\n
In one of the sessions of the conference, three people who are involved in restorative justice told their stories. Ron Edwards is a member of the Milwaukee Police Department who has lost several family members to violence, including incidents involving police officers. Penny Beernsten is a sexual assault victim who found out years later that the man she identified as her assailant was innocent \u2013 and she met with him in a circle to ask to be forgiven. LT Austin served time in prison several times, but he has become an advocate for helping formerly incarcerated people.<\/p>\n
In the fourth session, Geske and Griffith answered questions from participants in the conference about different aspects of how restorative justice works. Geske said circles are not the time for preaching or encouraging people to become involved in religion.\u201d It has nothing to do with us evangelizing and everything to do with giving parties an opportunity to share their stories and to find some healing in the process,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The first session, an interview with Geske, may be viewed by clicking here<\/a>. The second, with Edwards, Beernsten, and Austin, may be viewed by clicking here. <\/a>A talk by Griffith may be viewed by clicking here<\/a> and the final session with the two of them may be viewed by clicking here<\/a>. Each session is less than an hour.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cMaking It Personal\u201d \u2013 that was the name of Marquette Law School\u2019s Restorative Justice 2020 Conference. But this is a time when, like almost everywhere else, no programs are being done in person at the Law School. And making things personal on a computer screen is a challenge. So how personal were the four sessions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public","category-speakers","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29480"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29482,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29480\/revisions\/29482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}