Reparative Panel Volunteer Orientation: A Community-Based Approach to Justice
This self-paced orientation prepares you to serve as a community volunteer on Reparative Panels with the Hartford Community Restorative Justice Center. Over three chapters, you will learn what makes Restorative Justice different from traditional systems, why volunteers are essential, how to center the needs of people who have been harmed, and what to expect during a panel meeting.
Through videos, real-life examples, and reflection prompts, you’ll gain practical tools for listening, asking open questions, and guiding conversations toward accountability and repair. By the end of this course, you will be ready to observe your first panel and take your place in a process that helps neighbors, families, and communities heal from harm.
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Chapter 1: Understanding Restorative Justice
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Lesson 1: What Restorative Justice Means
This chapter introduces the heart of Restorative Justice (RJ) and explains why community volunteers are essential to the process. By the end of Chapter 1, you will be able to describe how RJ differs from the traditional system, explain the three guiding questions of RJ, name the core principles that shape every panel, and identify what volunteers do to move conversations toward accountability and repair.
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Lesson 2: Why Volunteers Matter
This chapter introduces the heart of Restorative Justice (RJ) and explains why community volunteers are essential to the process. By the end of Chapter 1, you will be able to describe how RJ differs from the traditional system, explain the three guiding questions of RJ, name the core principles that shape every panel, and identify what volunteers do to move conversations toward accountability and repair.
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Chapter 2: The People at the Center
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Lesson 1: Centering the Victim Experience
Restorative Justice works because it centers people, not systems. This chapter focuses on two groups at the heart of every panel: those who have been harmed and the volunteers who serve as community representatives. You will learn how to keep the victim’s needs visible, even when they are not in the room, and how to carry out your role as a volunteer with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
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Lesson 2: The Volunteer’s Contribution
Restorative Justice works because it centers people, not systems. This chapter focuses on two groups at the heart of every panel: those who have been harmed and the volunteers who serve as community representatives. You will learn how to keep the person harmed’s needs visible, even when they are not in the room, and how to step into your volunteer role with confidence, clarity, and compassion.
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Chapter 3: The Panel Process
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Lesson 1: What Happens in a Panel
This chapter brings together everything you have learned by showing how a panel actually unfolds. You will walk through the process step by step, see what a panel looks like in action, and then reflect on how to apply your role moving forward.
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Lesson 2: Reflection and Next Steps
This chapter brings together everything you have learned by showing how a panel actually unfolds. You will walk through the process step by step, see what a panel looks like in action, and then reflect on how to apply your role moving forward.
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Course FAQ
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No. This orientation is designed for community members with no prior background. All you need is a willingness to listen, learn, and support accountability and repair.
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The course includes three chapters with short videos, examples, and reflection questions. Most volunteers complete it in about 1 to 2 hours, but you can move at your own pace.
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After completing this orientation, you’ll meet with staff, observe a panel in action, and then be invited to participate as a volunteer. Ongoing training and support are always available.