The Establishment of a National Center on Restorative Justice at Vermont Law School

The establishment of the National Center on Restorative Justice (Center) will serve two primary goals: (1) Educate and train next generation of juvenile and criminal justice leaders. The Center shall engage and challenge undergraduate, graduate, and law students, in conjunction with criminal justice professionals, community members, educators, and social service providers, at the state, regional, and national levels, in order to broaden their understanding of criminal justice systems and restorative approaches, while encouraging access to educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals; and, (2) Support research focusing on restorative justice and addressing social inequities, such as access to substance abuse treatment and higher education. The Vermont Law School will use award funds to establish the National Center on Restorative Justice. The Center will improve criminal justice policy and practice by broadening the understanding of justice systems and restorative approaches for undergraduate, master's level, and law students, and justice professionals while expanding educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals and those in a court-supervised substance abuse program. The Center will also host two restorative justice institutes annually, thus deepening the restorative justice knowledge base for justice professionals. The Center will support research on restorative justice strategies and impacts in the context of the US criminal legal system.