There are many public and private organizations that host restorative justice programs inside of Wisconsin prisons.
In 2006, the Prison Ministry Project out of First Congregational, located next to Camp Randall, formed a restorative justice program.
Restorative justice operates in a few different ways. Most programs bring together a victim of a crime with the perpetrator of that crime and ask them to engage in a healing dialogue. Those sessions focus on the effect the crime had on the victim, as well as their family and friends, the community and the perpetrator.
“The gold standard of restorative justice is usually victim-offender dialogues,” said Jerry Hancock, a pastor at First Congregational Church and the program’s founder. “For example, the family survivors of a murder will go to a prison and in a very structured setting, meet with the person who killed their loved one and honestly engage in dialogue where the perpetrator answers questions that a victim’s family has. That way it’s possible for healing to begin.”