DA’s Community Conferencing Orientations Empower Residents
Community Prosecutor Nicole Sheldon is working with Erin Katzfey, also of the DA’s Office to plan a series of Community Conferencing Program orientation and training sessions for interested residents. The sessions will take place on July 26 at noon and August 4 at 6:00pm. They are encouraging the involvement of area residents in this restorative process.
Community conferencing is a restorative justice based program for non-violent offenders aimed at repairing the harm inflicted by crime, restoring a sense of community, and providing an alternative to incarceration. It is a process which can transform conflict from adversarial in nature to a mutual understanding of harm and its effects. The training allows community members to facilitate actual criminal cases that involve offenders, victims, youth and community members. The cases are Deferred/Diversion Prosecution Agreements, meaning that offenders may not be charged with a crime, or may have their charges reduced if they successfully complete the requirements of the court.
For offenders, this means that there is an opportunity to talk about their actions in an honest, open and safe setting; and to hear from their victims directly. They can also keep a clean criminal record or have their charges reduced while beginning to repair the harm they have inflicted on the victims of their crime. This victim focused process is largely absent from the traditional justice system. In over 10 years of service, Community Conferencing has been effective in 85% of cases with only a small percentage returning to the criminal justice system with additional offenses.
If you would like to sign up for one of the sessions contact:
- Erin Katzfey
- Community Conferencing Program Manager
- Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office
- 414-278-4632
