One of the most important things you can do if considering how you might participate in local restorative justice efforts, is to educate yourself about what "restorative justice" is. As you may have heard or read already, restorative justice is not a "program." It is a way of thinking about responding to wrongdoing and actions that hurt others. There are several "programs" or approaches that are the most widely used restorative justice practices, like restorative conferencing or circles and victim/offender mediation "programs." But restorative justice "thinking" can be applied in many settings without necessarily initiating a new "program."

Conflict Solutions Center is currently offering monthly 1 1/2 hour "Restorative Justice Introductions" workshops. They are rotated between Lompoc and Santa Maria. You can download the flyer with the location and times here - rj monthly flyer.pdf