Project - Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice is a collaborative initiative of the Knox County District Attorney General, Knox County Juvenile Court, and Compassion Coalition.

Juvenile offenders who have been found delinquent for non-violent offenses are court ordered to complete an assigned number of community service hours as a condition of their probation. Restorative Justice recognizes that communities, as well as individuals, are victims of crime. Juvenile offenders should pay back the community where they committed their offenses doing work in the neighborhood that will make it a better place to live. Juvenile offenders are ordered to carry out almost 10,000 hours every year. If that service is directed toward improving our communities there will be a benefit to both the community and the offender.

The major benefits of a Restorative Justice program are:

Neighborhoods become safer

Quality of life improves

Juveniles get a chance to give back to their community

Community members become more involved as partners with local government

The justice system becomes more oriented toward solving problems, not just punishing someone and letting it drop

These factors lead to a decrease in delinquency, and ultimately crime rates in general.

With lower crime rates, citizens of Knox County feel safer

Crime reduction reduces the amount taxpayers must pay in welfare benefits and in building and staffing new jails and prisons.

The Knox County District Attorney’s Office and Juvenile Court are honored to work with Compassion Coalition volunteers in identifying appropriate work locations for the juveniles where their efforts will be most beneficial, and in providing trained adults to supervise the juveniles on the work sites. This collaborative effort leads the way for future programs in which the justice system can work with community members in making a tangible difference in the future of our children and our neighborhoods.

You can download a copy of the Restorative Justice Handbook here.

For more information about Restorative Justice, Contact: Veta Sprinkle, 675-6351 or restorativejustice@compassioncoalition.org

Sign Up to Participate

Restorative Justice
You can be involved in the collaborative effort with the Juvenile Court to provide appropriate work locations or to be trained to supervise the juveniles on the work sites.

Mentoring
Juvenile Court has begun giving Pastor David Trempe the names of youth who would benefit from a mentoring relationship with a church family. In some situations the mentor will work with both the youth and their families. Training will be provided.

I am interested in:

Providing a work location for non-violent delinquents.
Supervising juveniles on work sites
Joining a leadership team to make Restorative Justice available to every child who needs this opportunity.
Taking this information back to my church, please contact me later.
Attending a follow-up meeting with others from my church, organization, or business.
Mentoring with Pastor David Trempe.

Contact Information:

First Name
Last Name
Church/ Organization
Work Phone
E-mail