HEALING HARMS
Our Services
Restorative Youth Dialogues and Circles
Healing Harms offers a Restorative Justice diversion program created as an alternative to the juvenile justice system for youth 17 and under that have been charged with a crime and those who were harmed by that action. RYD provides youth with intensive case management over multiple sessions, supporting them in reaching several key goals -understanding the reasons for their harmful actions and the negative impact they have caused, planning for future success, and practicing accountability to the people they harmed.
This multistep process culminates in a dialogue, circle, or family discussion where the youth responsible for causing harm meets with anyone negatively impacted by their actions in order to take accountability and make the situation as right as possible.
REAL Resiliency - Education Workshops
REAL Resiliency is focused on equipping young people with tools to navigate systems that perpetuate structural inequities in our society and handle challenges in their lives, families, schools, and communities.
Youth engage in community building activities about how our experiences impact who we are and our communities influence our identity. Using their experiences, youth will reflect on times that they’ve been harmed and times that they’ve experienced harm, as well share what justice looks like to them. Participants reflect on the harms of the criminal justice system and challenge themselves to reimagine what their communities could look through an alternative lens.
Restorative Diversion Success: Noelia’s Story
Communities We Serve
CCEJ offers services to a wide range of communities, families, organizations, and individuals in Los Angeles County including:
Avalon
Compton
East Los Angeles
Lomita
Long Beach
Manhattan Beach
Redondo Beach
San Pedro
South Los Angeles
Wilmington
These services are partially supported by the Los Angeles County Department of Youth Development, the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and the California Dispute Resolution Programs Act, among other funders.
What is Restorative Justice (RJ)?
CCEJ uses an indigenous practice rooted in Maori culture known in the U.S.A. as “Restorative Justice circles.” Circle is a dialogue process used to reach accountability. Restorative Justice (RJ) gives those in conflict an opportunity to take responsibility for the harm they caused and a chance to make the situation as right as possible for those they have impacted.
Healing Harms defines Restorative Justice as a way of being and interacting with each other that centers relationships, acknowledges power dynamics, promotes personal and collective accountability and requires entire community to be invested.
Healing Harms uses Restorative Justice practices to support community members in accepting accountability and finding healing in response to conflict. Healing Harms brings together the people who are responsible and those who are impacted to address the harm caused and create agreements to build meaningful justice.
Check out this video from Brave New Films - Restorative Justice: Why Do We Need it?
What is Restorative Youth Diversion (RYD)?
CCEJ facilitates Restorative Justice circles and dialogues for youth who are confronting a legal charge as an alternative to involvement in the criminal-legal system.
CCEJ partners with a wide range of referring legal agencies including police departments and district attorney offices. To learn more about RYD or refer a case, please contact Restorative Justice Diversion Director Alejandro Haezaert-House, M.A., ahaezaert@cacej.org or call 562.435.8184
Reach out!
Need to refer a case? Curious to learn more about our youth diversion work?
Contact the Healing Harms team!
Key Team Members:
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Ali Haezaert-House, M.A.
Director, Healing Harms
Contact Ali for questions about youth diversion.
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Donna Stewart, M.A.Ed.
Restorative Justice Specialist
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Trevor Arceneaux, M.A.
VP of Youth Leadership