photo by: Mackenzie Clark

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, which houses Douglas County District Court and a number of other criminal justice services at 111 E. 11th St., is pictured April 8, 2020.

A local nonprofit organization is working with the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office to launch a restorative justice program as an alternative to criminal prosecution for offenders.

The organization, Building Peace, will host a public meeting on Thursday to explain the initiative and solicit feedback from the community. Lyle Seger, a founding organizer and mediator for the nonprofit, said the meeting would be an introduction to restorative justice and how it could work in Douglas County.

District Attorney Suzanne Valdez recently told the Douglas County Commission that the program would be the first in Douglas County.

Restorative justice programs generally provide an opportunity for someone who committed a crime to meet with the victim or victims of that crime and a trained mediator to discuss how the crime affected the victims. The meeting also provides for an opportunity to work toward a resolution, which could include the offender avoiding criminal charges.

Valdez said her office was interested in a restorative justice program that first focuses on juvenile offenders accused of lower-level crimes. She said such a program could help disrupt the “school-to-prison pipeline,” which is a concept that posits that harsh school discipline policies are increasing the number of young individuals, often from marginalized backgrounds, ending up in prison. Additionally, a restorative justice program could help reduce recidivism among offenders, she said.

“So the offender benefits, plus the community benefits,” Valdez said. “It’s a win-win.”

Lisa Larsen, a Lawrence city commissioner and an organizer for the nonprofit, said Building Peace was established in December 2020 and consists of five Kansas Supreme Court-approved mediators, including herself, who could serve as mediator in restorative justice meetings. She said the mediators have experience working in district courts and social service restorative justice programs in Johnson, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties, among others.

All of those counties have seen success with their restorative justice programs, especially with juvenile offenders and cases of low-level crimes, and it is now time to bring a similar program to Douglas County, Larsen said.

“It affords some of our youngest community members to learn how their actions impact victims, as well as the community,” she said. “These acts alone have been shown to promote healing and understanding and can remove the punitive aspect of the criminal justice system.”

While the nonprofit plans to focus on victim-offender mediation, Larsen said it would also provide mediation for landlord and tenant issues. She said that would be an area that may need increased mediation because of housing issues that have arisen due to the coronavirus pandemic and its effect on the economy.

Seger said an example of how a restorative justice program works consists of a DA’s office referring a case, generally a low-level crime, to the organization. The offender in that case would then go through the mediation process and work toward a resolution before any charges are filed.

Another example includes individuals who have already been charged with a crime. In those instances, the individual goes through the mediation process as part of a diversion program, which allows for criminal charges to be dismissed once the program is completed.

Valdez said her office was still working out the details on how the program would operate, but she thought the program would be more beneficial if it occurred prior to an individual being formally charged with a crime. That way, the offender would be able to resolve the issue without any sort of criminal record, including the diversion process.

“We make an impact on those young people, and they hopefully never become part of the (criminal justice) system as adults,” Valdez said.

A formal timeline for when the program could launch in Douglas County was not provided. County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said a memorandum of understanding between the county and the nonprofit would be needed to outline the program’s procedures, and the county would also likely need to provide some funding for its operation.

Plinsky said the county was looking into funding options to the organization as part of its 2023 budget. But she said funding could also be provided sooner, if the DA’s office and the organization are prepared to launch earlier. Seger said the organization would also pursue grant opportunities to help fund the program.

More information on the proposed program will be discussed during a virtual gathering scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Those who wish to participate may register to attend the meeting on Zoom at www.bit.ly/30zcUhR.