Restorative Justice and Practice Institute Holds Second Annual Conference

Congressman Steny Hoyer Says Restorative Justice Practices Are Necessary to Heal

 

MEDIA CONTACT: David Thompson, dlthompson@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-4311

(BOWIE, Md.) – Launched during the pandemic in 2020, the Restorative Justice and Practice Institute held its second annual conference bringing together Bowie State University faculty and community leaders to discuss strategies that will enable individuals and organizations to heal. Restorative Justice is an emerging social science that focuses on how to build, strengthen, and repair relationships between individuals and establish supportive social connections within communities.

An important presenter at this year’s conference was Congressman Steny Hoyer, who has supported the institute by championing $750,000 in Congressionally designated community funding recently awarded.“I was glad to participate in the Restorative Justice and Practice Institute’s conference and thank Bowie State for making restorative justice a priority in the community,” said Congressman Hoyer. “Restorative justice practices are essential to repairing our communities, broken criminal justice systems, and refocusing our efforts on healing our communities while creating safer environments for families.”

The Restorative Justice and Practice Institute at Bowie State provides victim-offender conferencing that enables victims of crime the opportunity to meet the offender in a safe and structured setting; family group conferencing which involves the community of people most affected by the crime – the victim and the offender, family, friends, and key supporters of both; and restorative circles that build and restore relationships through sharing and listening. The Institute also provides training workshops for the community and step-by-step guides to implement restorative practices in schools and community-based organizations.

“Managing Our Healing,” the theme of this year’s conference, and was punctuated by training sessions dedicated to healing and social transformation through interdisciplinary and holistic engagement. A major component of the conference were discussions on providing training modules for faith-based organizations, public schools, community organizations, and the BSU campus community on coping with trauma as a result of domestic and gun violence, the current War in Ukraine that’s impacting the finances of Americans, and the pandemic.

“People are hurting,” said Charles Adams, chair of the department of behavioral sciences and human services and co-executive director of the Restorative Justice and Practice Institute. “There are tens of thousands of people across the state of Maryland and millions nationwide that are almost numb to what is going on around them. Many people feel a loss of control, safety, and are living traumatized on the edge which is why the Institute is so important,” said Professor Adams.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 61% of men and 51% of women report at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes. This would put mental trauma at the top of the list of most-common psychological health conditions. Children are impacted by trauma also with at least 1 in 7 experiencing child abuse and/or neglect. In 2019, over 1,800 children died of child abuse and neglect while each day 1,000 youth are treated in emergency departments for physical assault-related injuries.

 “There is a lot of work ahead of us to equitably apply the restorative justice model which is why the research, discovery, and problem solving at the Restorative Justice and Practice Institute is vitally important,” said Congressman Hoyer. “We can get closer to making a positive difference in our neighborhoods in a constructive way due to the Institute’s work,” he said.

###

About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.