"The Cure Is In The Pain"
This is ancient
wisdom and this is the wisdom of the circle. As a society we treat each
other for the most part as items to be used or reckoned with. We have
less and less time to listen to each other, to treat each other as human
beings. The widespread frustration and conflict growing around us, especially
among our youth, is both the consequence and the cure.
If we do not play or pray together, then we must fight together. There is no other way to relate if we are to relate to each other at all. But the fighting is also our last opportunity to return; our last chance to relate. It is the gift, which not only points out the problem but also holds the cure.
If we welcome and embrace the conflict, we will work through the pain and understand the damage to each other. The so called `victim and offender' will once again relate to each other through the conflict and be healed. This is 'restorative justice'.
If on the other hand, we try to stamp out the conflict, we will ignore our redemption, and descend into nothingness, becoming a meaningless mass of faceless digits. This is `zero tolerance'.
The cure is the pain, not in getting rid of it.
OUR PURPOSE
The Chief Justice of Ontario Roy McMurtry spoke of youth justice at the Opening of the Courts for 2003. In deploring the absence of government support in the area of youth at risk and anti social behaviours in youth, he pointed out that "it should be pretty obvious that our courts alone will never be able to provide a social justice order based on caring, compassion, and social justice." We believe that we have and continue to take up that challenge. We do not claim to have all the answers but we do feel that we are on the way of the answer.
The FACE Program is based on acceptance rather than control of offending behaviour. This is the essence of restorative justice. We do not attempt to eliminate offending behaviour from our society. This would be wishful thinking. Rather we accept offending behaviour and conflict in general as a part of life, which is here to stay. This neutral acceptance we have found turns offending behaviour from something that is often shunned and avoided into a positive community resource.
On the most basic level, if offending behaviour is faced and dealt with by those most directly involved and affected, the matter is opened up and dealt with, without lasting consequences. The damage is repaired as best it can and life goes on. This is to be contrasted with simply controlling and closing down whatever anger or other impulse was behind the conflict. We all know that this only causes the problem to continue to simmer, eventually breaking out in worse damage and in the meantime sapping good energy and destroying relationships.
On a deeper level, the coming together of those most directly affected often leads to an understanding of the underlying problem. Although the offender must be held accountable for his or her actions, these actions are seen as a signpost for change and recognition that a problem needs attention and that problem is often larger than one offender. Once this problem is exposed and dealt with, the offender, we have found, is more willing to make amends for his or her behaviour. There is no need to pass judgement on the offender; the offender passes judgement on him or herself and turns to a better way. This is much more effective in changing behaviour.
At the highest level, the sharing of the offending behaviour by the community
directly affected and the acceptance of the offender as part of this community
has the effect of bringing back together the family or community into
relationship. This is community building. It is not enough to impose sanctions
on the offender and then return him or her to the family or community
they came from. It was the family or community that produced the offender
and either promoted or contributed to the offending behaviour. We need
restoration of not only the offender but also his or her family and community.
Restorative justice, the way we practice it, does just that. If faced
head on by the offender, the victim and the immediate community of each,
the problem becomes the flash point for community renewal. Only then do
those involved have the understanding and the will to reach out to each
other and to whatever community resources may be needed to help those
involved and make the community a better place.
Conflict or offending behaviour is evidence of energy at work. If we label it negative and close it down, it becomes just that negative consequences. If on the other hand, we accept it as a part of life and a part of our community it becomes a positive community resource. That is what we have learned thus far.
Our learning
has been primarily by experience, although our initial learning was by
listening to the remembered experience of our aboriginal peoples. We have
also learned that the best way to teach this new form of thinking is the
same way, that is, by experience. Although it is important for community
restorative justice projects to have sufficient resources to grow and
develop, little is gained by lecture or legislation. The learning required
is a change of attitude and this occurs primarily by experience, by participating
in a restorative justice circle. This has been particularly effective
with police officers who initially and understandable viewed our program
as yet another alternative measure, but once involved realized that this
is very effective in changing attitudes and in restoring community relationships.
Our project is a grass roots effort that
will take time, but time well spent. The community and in particular victim
satisfaction is already very evident. We believe that the eventual community
renewal is inevitable.
MISSION STATEMENT
As an alternative to youth court, we provide an opportunity for offenders to fully appreciate and become accountable for their behavior, and for the healing of their victims and of community relationships, by encouraging those most directly affected to take responsibility for considering what has happened and what should happen as a consequence. By so doing, we believe that offending behavior can be transformed into a positive community resource.
FACE PROGRAM HISTORY
The Face Program was born in Midland, Ontario, out of the efforts of a group of community members who met throughout the year 1998. This group consisted of a school principal, the school board attendance counsellor, the Youth Court Judge, a lawyer, and representatives of both the Midland Police Service and the local OPP detachment. This group gathered its learning from the family group conferencing in New Zealand, the sentencing circles of the Yukon, and the native healing circles throughout North America. FACE is the acronym of Forum of Accountability in a Circle Experience.
The initial training of community facilitators took place in the spring of 1999 and the first circle took place that summer. Since then over 100 cases have been referred to the program and further training workshops have been held as needed to train facilitators, all of whom are community volunteers.
Initially, only youth offenders were dealt with and they are still the primary focus of the plan. However, at the training session in 2001 the Midland Police Chief requested that adult cases be accepted as well, and the FACE Program readily accepted this further challenge. Around the same time a community information meeting attracted attention from one of the high schools. The following year a training of the students and teachers from 3 high schools took place, so that the FACE Program could be duplicated to deal with offences and conflicts internally within these schools. Thereafter, in 2003 the FACE Program trained additional high school students in Midland and Elmvale and a nucleus of trainees in 6 more high schools from Alliston, Innisdale, and Barrie.