COUNTLESS lives changed
Community Justice Center
Restorative justice puts a human face on the handling of crime and violence. Rather than being purely punitive in approach, restorative justice involves the entire community.
The Community Justice Center (CJC) in Fresno, California was founded in 2020 amidst the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the challenging times and the appearance of being a brand new organization, the CJC has experienced immense growth and was given a huge boost when we were entrusted with valuable, longstanding programs from Fresno Pacific University’s Center for Peacemaking, including VORP, the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (youth diversion program) and COSA, Circles of Support and Accountability (adult restorative reentry program).
These restorative justice initiatives are data-driven and proven to save lives, save time and save money by investing in community well-being.
What does CJC do?
CJC facilitates healing through empowering, restorative programs:
- Community Support
- Reintegration and community support for our community members coming home after incarceration
- Mediation between offenders and victims
- Courses for youth and adults
- Providing restorative resolution to community conflict
Recent Blog Posts
Vanna In’s Story
The majority of individuals who are living their life on an everyday basis do not need or desire conflict in their lives. And why should they? We all desire for things to run smoothly, so as not to interrupt our lives, but we know that is not the real world. When one is involved in community mediation, we know that conflict is: normal, natural and necessary, and if conflict is not dealt with at the earliest stage, it only festers and builds and leads to the type of situation where more injury can occur.
David’s Story
“We do not heal isolation. Connecting with others is how we develop compassion for others and for ourselves. A person is a person through other …
Michael’s Story
Here at VORP, we believe that true justice is Restorative. This belief allows us to address the harms and needs of those harmed as well …
Events
Trainings, Workshops, Certifications, and more.
Looking for an upcoming volunteer orientation, workshop, or other community event? Check out the calendar here or go straight to our events page for all the details and the ability to search for events.