by Mel Motel Co-Director of Restorative Justice at Interaction

When the Brattleboro Community Justice Center came together with Youth Services In 2021, our goal was simple: streamline our county’s restorative justice programs by having them all under one roof. Additionally, we believed, together, we could come up with new, creative, and expansive ideas for bringing restorative practices to the community.  

For years, we’d been fielding calls asking for help with a restorative approach to everyday conflicts. People brought to us conflicts between neighbors at an apartment property, issues between coworkers at other nonprofits in town, tensions between businesses and patrons, to name a few. However, we didn’t have capacity to say yes to most of these requests. Our two organizations had combined decades of offering a range of restorative justice programs for people of all ages – but to be eligible for most of these programs, individuals already needed to have some contact with the criminal justice system.

Two years ago, we were able to create a new position to work in the community. Rachael Trill, our Restorative Community Practices Coordinator, has offered trainings, coaching, and facilitation to a variety of community members and organizations. We have engaged with hundreds of individuals throughout Brattleboro, Windham County, and beyond in building community, solving problems, and repairing harm through restorative practices.

Our community is facing increased stress and tension. We see these sorts of tensions leading people to lash out–speaking cruelly about others online or in person, all the way to physical fights–or to turn away altogether, out of hopelessness, fear, or exhaustion. Restorative practices encourages us to have the courage to turn towards each other, build and repair relationships, and share the impact of conflict with directness and care. 

This past summer, Rachael and fellow restorative justice staff members Katie Kohnfelder and Chris Hoard, teamed up with Matt Miller, a local pastor and longtime restorative justice volunteer, to pilot a community circles initiative. They brought together a small group of people who didn’t know each other to build relationships and tackle real questions about being in Brattleboro, using a circle process.

Watch the video below to learn more about the work we have been doing in the community!