Taskforces

Benton County Drug Treatment Court

Restorative Justice Taskforce

Mission

To encourage and develop responses to crime in Benton County that:

Give victims an opportunity to identify their needs that will be included in a repair plan.
Hold offenders responsible while creating potential for their reintegration into the community.
Include community members in justice planning and operations.

A courtroom with wooden pews, wall panels, and decorative trim sit below an illuminated white ceiling trims with an etched glass pattern and a chandelier hanging down. A judge's bench sits in the background with a jury's box located in the back right.

About the Restorative Justice Task Force

Pilot Projects

Develop Victim Impact Panels to provide victims of crime an opportunity to have their experiences heard by offenders in a safe, structured environment. The taskforce began started a DUII Victim Impact Panel and may expand to include other types of crime.

History

The Restorative Justice Taskforce was created after a group of individuals gathered in response to the Community and Restorative Justice Conference held in Corvallis in October, 2000. The group agreed to encourage Benton County to become more restorative in its responses to crime. The group invited nationally recognized restorative justice advocate, Dennis Maloney, to speak to the Willamette Criminal Justice Council in February, 2001. From that meeting, the Restorative Justice Taskforce was created, that included a mix of community members and criminal justice representatives.

Members

Representatives from the Juvenile Department, District Attorney’s office, Corrections, Judicial and interested community members.