The pajaronian speaks to crc about Neighborhood courts

The Pajaronian published an interview CRC's Dany Torres and Alaya Vautier on December 22, 2021 about recruiting bilingual and bicultural volunteers for the DAOs Neighborhood Courts Program:

"A restorative justice-based program of the County District Attorney’s Office in partnership with the Conflict Resolution Center (CRC), NCP utilizes panels of trained citizens to determine outcomes for offenders of certain low-level misdemeanors. 

According to program coordinator Danitza Torres, the initiative has so far worked—successfully giving both offenders and victims in Santa Cruz County a chance to safely discuss the crime, decide on reparations and, eventually, heal.

“Out of 45 conferences … We had 35 participants who have so far completed their agreement, and they’re now completely out of the system,” Torres said. “Which is really good. We’ve had really good feedback. They’re appreciative of the program, and that they have a safe space where they can talk things out.”
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Read the whole article here.