FOR UNITED WAY E-BLAST:
BEDINGER TO DISCUSS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
Lisa Bedinger’s job is to put “Restorative Justice” into practice. She helpsfind ways to hold criminals accountable for their offenses and to allow them to make amends and repair the harm they have done. She does this as coordinator for the South Burlington Community Justice Center in South Burlington, Vermont, established in 2011.
Lisa, a 1986 Salina Central High School graduate,comes to Salina on Thursday, March 12, to share what she has learned and to help consider how such processes might be useful in the Salina area. She will speak with the public about Restorative Justice at K-State Salina’s monthly noon Civic Luncheon and again that evening for the Women's History month event sponsored by Salina Human Relations Commission.
Lisa was invited to Salina by the Salina Initiative for Restorative Justice (SIRJ) a local victim-offender mediation program for first-time juvenile offenders.
After graduating from Central, Lisa graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in anthropology and a master’s degree in mediation and applied conflict studies all at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa.
While she is in Salina, Lisa will also consult with law enforcement, court personnel, community corrections and others community members. SIRJ Coordinating Team member, Thea Nietfeld, said "We invited Lisa to help us deepen and widen our understandings and applications of restorative justice."
The South Burlington Community Justice Center serves the South Burlington community by providing opportunities to address crime and conflict as a community, at the local level, through a Restorative Justice approach. Restorative Justice focuses on making amends when harm occurs and repairing relationships through collaborative decision-making involving the people affected. Relationships are rebuilt and the community is stronger when victims, affected parties, offenders, and community members have a role in addressing crimes and issues that affect safety and well-being. Restorative justice accesses the wisdom of the people most affected by the crime and often rebuilds trust when it is destroyed. The South Burlington center is one of 20 community justice centers in Vermont that run Restorative Justice programs and services.
Before working with the South Burlington center, Lisa worked at the Essex (Vermont) Community Justice Center and was as an independent mediator, facilitator and trainer for non-profits, municipalities, colleges, and universities.
Lisa's public events are on Thursday, March 13:
Noon to 1:00 p.m. – K-State Salina Civic Luncheon will begin with Ann Zimmerman, another SIRJ team member, describing the current Salina program, followed by Lisa describing the difference between standard crime-and-punishment approaches and restorative justice practices. She will engage participants in restorative discussions for experiential learning.
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Women's History month event sponsored by the Salina Human Relations Commission and held at the Salina Art Center, 242 S. Santa Fe. At this event, Lisa will offer a presentation on women who have influenced her life and career and on women whom she has influenced.
For more information, contact Thea Nietfeld at 785-323-7177 or Martha Rhea at 785-825-9320
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