Restorative Justice Processes
We offer trainings, restorative circles, victim-offender dialogues, restorative inquiries and other restorative processes to contribute to identifying harm and how to heal as well as transform.
Trainings
We offer regular training in restorative justice skills, including basic, advanced, and training for trainers. Visit our training page to learn more.
Circles
Request a circle(s) to address a conflict or harm that has occurred and how to heal and transform. We also offer periodic community building restorative circles. Participants will be invited to connect and provided with opportunities to grow through guided sharing about various harms or challenges. Previous circles have included (see more examples on our training page):
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A month-long series on Anti-Racism with themes of Microaggressions, Intersectionality, Systems of Racial Inequity, Healing and Unlearning
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A month-long series on restorative justice in action in the fields of community healing, criminal justice, education, crisis intervention, and work & family
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COVID-19
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Mental Health
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Finding Forgiveness
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Relationship/Friendship/Kinship
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Community/Workplace
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Spiritual/Religious/Meaning/Purpose
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Aging or Grief
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Self-Care
Circles for Organizations or Groups [Online or In Person]
Our professional facilitators are available for circles or dialogues between persons or groups. Objectives may include transforming conflict, improving mutual understanding, building community, etc. We have facilitated these types of circles for various types of groups and organizations, such as the DC birthworker-doula community, National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens, Network for Victim Recovery of DC, religious communities, local garden groups, etc. See below for additional examples.
McKenna Center Project: Healing Circles
We facilitated healing circles twice a month for low-income men and men living on the streets or in shelters. Our topics included personal, family, community/workplace, meaning/spiritual struggles.
Anacostia Community: Healing Circles
We accompanied Black community leaders in a Washington, DC neighborhood (within Anacostia) who sought to address issues related to trauma, conflict, disruption, and violence in their community. We assisted in creating space for healing, promoted creative and genuine ways to address the needs of key stakeholders, and assisted in developing collaborative initiatives rooted in the strengths and wisdom of the local community.
Several Universities have partnered with us to train their students or facilitate circles for their campus community. It has been an honor to serve and to continue to serve American University, Georgetown University, Mars Hill University, and many more.
You have done an incredible job with the Healing Circle. It was quite therapeutic for me and actually helped me to get through some really tough times this year in particular. I want to applaud you both for doing this voluntarily on Saturdays to help the leaders of our community breathe, heal and have a sacred place to communicate.”
Participant, December 2020.
Restorative Youth Circles
Our restorative justice team offers youth circles, in collaboration with youth groups and leaders. We are also happy to train youth and youth leaders to facilitate such circles.
Our Team
Heather Thompson (she/her/hers)
Heather has worked in the criminal justice field for over a decade assisting victims, offenders, and their families during some of their most difficult times. She has participated in victim-offender dialogues in the past and has shared her experience with various audiences. She has a B.S. in Criminal Justice and is currently pursuing a Masters in Legal Studies at American University and a Certificate in Restorative Justice Facilitation and Leadership at University of San Diego. She is a passionate advocate for criminal and social justice reform and looks forward to a day when restorative justice is widely practiced in the legal system.
Debra Budiani-Saberi (she/her)
Debra is a medical anthropologist academic and health and human rights activist with a longstanding international commitment to victim/survivor advocacy with trafficked persons at the grassroots level and with agencies of the United Nations. She is also a Mindfulness facilitator for youth (within and outside of schools) and families with an approach that blends an exploration of our inner worlds with our interpersonal relationships and that is rooted in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), neuroscience and social justice. Debra is an enthusiastic member of the Restorative Justice family of the DC Peace Team.
Sal Corbin
(he/his)
Sal offers training in Active Bystander Intervention, Restorative Justice, Unarmed Civilian Protection and conflict mediation. He worked for 15 years in academia as a Psychology Professor before transitioning to nonprofit work. He has done Workforce Development training and program management and is a Training Coordinator for the Maryland Harm Reduction Institute. His vision is to help others build and maintain healthy relationships, with conflict transformation as the primary focus. His extensive background in leadership facilitation supports his efforts to keep showing up and sharing.
Jeri Fields
(She/her)
Jeri is a former educator who serves in her community as a first responder chaplain with a longstanding commitment to the spiritual well-being of all of God’s people. She holds a Professional Certificate in Restorative Justice from Vermont Law School. Jeri is inspired by the transforming and healing powers that occur within circles that offer safe spaces to be brave and vulnerable as personal stories are shared openly with authenticity, deep listening, and respect for others. In her professional and personal life, she is passionate about restorative justice and is an enthusiastic member of the Restorative Justice family of the DC Peace Team.
Jamal Jones
(he/they/them)
Jamal is is a second-generation educator who earned their bachelor degree in Psychology and Psychoeducational Studies whilst at Howard University. Jamal's career focus has been on at-risk, juvenile, and special education students, specifically students with Emotional Behavior Disorders. While teaching in these alternative school settings, Jamal became a self-taught and trialed by fire in the skills presented. Jamal is currently finishing a Masters in Special Education and currently teaches adult learners at the Academy of Hope, DC
Christian Paris
(he/his)
Christian is a certified Restorative Justice Facilitation practitioner and a proud member of the DC Peace Team family. Over the past eight years, he has been blessed to lead and serve as a keeper and facilitator of dialogue circles here in the United States and abroad, centering heavily around the cross-cultural communication and nonviolent strategic action. He holds a Masters of Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University.
Maite Rubio
(she/her)
Maite serves as a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Audit Coordinator in the Office of Response & Recovery. She is a second-year Masters of Public Administration candidate, with a concentration in Social Policy. She graduated from George Mason University, B.A in Global Affairs with a concentration in International Development. Maite is an advocate for social justice and healing.
Karen Bortvedt Estrada (she/her)
Karen works full time as Relationship Manager for an international development organization and also leads workshops on depolarization. Through both her personal and professional experiences, she has seen the power of authenticity, vulnerability, and self-healing to transform family and community systems locally and overseas. Karen is passionate about holding space to humanize, hear, and heal.
Youth Team
Andria Chatmon
Andria is a graduate student in the online Social Justice and Community Organizing Program of Prescott College. She became involved with DCPT after moving back to Maryland from Madison, WI, where she studied Spanish and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison before working as a Bilingual Restorative Justice Intake Coordinator at YWCA Madison. Andria is excited to expand her knowledge around RJ and the implementation of other peaceful practices, use these practices to address systemic and community harm, and bring transformative, liberatory healing to all, especially vulnerable communities.
Debra Budiani-Saberi (she/her)
Debra is a medical anthropologist academic and health and human rights activist with a longstanding international commitment to victim/survivor advocacy with trafficked persons at the grassroots level and with agencies of the United Nations. She is also a Mindfulness facilitator for youth (within and outside of schools) and families with an approach that blends an exploration of our inner worlds with our interpersonal relationships and that is rooted in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), neuroscience and social justice. Debra is an enthusiastic member of the Restorative Justice family of the DC Peace Team.
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Chardonnay Johnson (she/her/hers)
Chardonnay is an intersectional well-being strategist and resident of Pasadena, CA. Currently a therapist for a residential treatment program supporting foster youth at Hillsides Inc. Over the last decade while supporting this population, she has acquired certification in Suicide Prevention, Domestic Violence, CSEC intervention, Trauma-Informed Care, Gottman’s relationship methods, Crisis Communication/ProAct training, and Mental Health First Aid in efforts to ensure stabilization and safety in her community. A graduate from Azusa Pacific University with a Master’s in Clinical Social Work after achieving a bachelor's in psychology from NCA&T SU; she plans to continue being an advocate and volunteer at Door of Hope homeless shelter fighting to improve conditions of the less fortunate. She recently ecstatically joined the creative efforts of the restorative justice family within the DC peace team. .