Since its inception in 2020, the Santa Cruz County Neighborhood Justice Program has held 351 conferences between people who commit low-level crimes and their victims.
Of these, 319 have completed the requirements to which they agreed, with the others still in the process.
And in doing so, they keep the offenses off their criminal records.
That’s important in an age when many jobs require a background check, and one youthful mistake can haunt a person for life, said Danitza Torres, who oversees the Neighborhood Justice Program.
“We understand that people make some mistakes, and we want to support them so they can repair the harm they caused, and hopefully this won’t happen again,” Torres said. “The only thing we’re requesting is that people take responsibility for their actions.”
During the hour-long conferences, the panel of citizen volunteers speaks with the participant—the program shies away from legally damning words such as “offender,” and recently changed its name from Neighborhood Court for similar reasons—in an attempt to understand why the offense occurred and what was happening in their lives.
And based on that, the participants and victims agree on a list of reparations that among other things can include letters of apology and community service.
“Most people don’t have the attention of strangers for an hour, and it’s very meaningful for a lot of people,” Torres said. “One thing the panelists say is that, ‘we care about you and we want you to be successful in this community.’ Those are words many people never hear.”
One participant who asked not to be named called the experience “incredibly positive.”
“The program encouraged me to take accountability for my actions while providing a safe and supportive environment to reflect on the impact of my choices,” they said. “The restorative justice approach made me feel heard and understood, which motivated me to make amends and take steps toward personal growth.”
The program now boasts a cadre of 65 trained volunteers, many of whom are bilingual.
Program intern Carrieann Earles, who recently graduated with degrees in politics, literature and legal studies, said she hopes to attend law school and become a defense attorney.
Earles said she was inspired to embark on that career path by a family member’s experience with criminal justice.
“Having to deal with the court system, having to go through lawyers, jail, prison, it’s not fun,” she said. “I really like how we are able to give people a second chance before they have to go through the system.”
