ROCHESTER, Minn. - Three Rivers Restorative Justice is teaming up with the Rochester Police Department to implement a program aimed at helping youth navigate difficult situations.
The Three Rivers Restorative Justice office is located at Christ United Methodist Church in Rochester.
The program is a group of volunteer community members who have been trained to facilitate restorative group conferences, working as an alternate option to the court system.
Program manager, Abe Kamara, says their goal is to help bring a better understanding to people.
“Have people just to communicate with each other. To bring healing, to bring people to the point where sometimes crime happens and people don't know ‘Why me?’ or ‘Why this happened to me,’ so putting people in the same room just to talk can have that answer,” he explains.
Kamara says kids of color in the community are often underserved.
“If something happens, the police get called. And the police are there for a reason. We're not here to replace that we're just here to go alongside and fill in the gap for things they don't typically address. Because one they don't have the time and they're under resourced.”
Since September the group has worked with over 20 juvenile cases from - property damage to shootings.
Their hope is to expand their program to reach even more people by getting involved with court systems, school systems, and even the sheriff's office.
Currently the program works with youth at no charge - and any one can refer a case to them.
To get involved or learn more about the work in the community, visit their website here.
