DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE POSITION:

The Montpelier Community Justice Center (CJC) creates and promotes opportunities for learning about, developing skills in, and participating in restorative justice programs and other problem solving processes that encourage feelings of fairness, safety, and inclusion. The CJC recruits and trains community volunteers to deliver restorative justice programs serving people affected by and responsible for criminal wrongdoing, from pre-charge to re-entry. It also provides readily available conflict management and dispute resolution assistance in response to actual or potential conflicts in the community.

The Restorative Outreach Specialist (ROS) provides outreach, support, information and systems navigation to people who are identified as affected by criminal offending in both the Restorative Outreach Program and the Restorative Justice Programs.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

For the Restorative Outreach Program, the ROS identifies and contacts the harmed party, listens to their stories, conveys empathy and, depending on their stated interests and goals, helps them identify where to get the resources they need, and provides information to help them navigate the criminal justice system. Specific responsibilities include:

• Reading and understanding the nature of calls made to the MPD in which harmed parties are identified from Valcour listings
• Recording information in a database, including case number, responding officer, harmed party name and contact information and outcome
• Calling harmed party and talking to them or leaving messages for them to contact MCJC
• Offering assistance to find resources and providing a sympathetic ear to hear their stories
• Writing follow-up letters to harmed parties who are not reached directly
• Reporting any additional information gleaned from contact to responding officer

For the Restorative Justice Programs, the ROS works closely with the Restorative Programs Coordinator to identify and contact harmed parties of participants in the Restorative Justice Alternative and Reparative Probation programs and shepherds them through their participation in the process. Specific responsibilities include:

• Act as a conduit for people affected by the crimes committed by the people participating in the Restorative Justice Programs.

• Ensure that the harmed party’s preferences are central to CJC work with people who have offended

• Work closely with Programs Coordinator to communicate needs and wishes of individual harmed parties
• When asked, brief Restorative Justice Panel volunteers about wishes/needs of the harmed party
• Talk with CJC Director about observations/thoughts regarding CJC work with the harmed party that could compromise or enhance the experience of justice

• Attend RJ Panel meetings or Restorative Conferences to do the following:
  • Support harmed parties who decide to attend
  • Remind attendees that there has been harm caused if the harmed party does not choose to attend
  • Offer any statements harmed parties may have requested to be shared
  • Act as resource for Panel members
  • Listen from the harmed parties’ perspective and remind all participants if anything is missing
  • Give feedback to harmed parties who do not attend.
• Monitor program activity and maintain program data

• Track case activity and results of outreach (number of cases, number of calls made, number of successful contacts, participation, etc.)
• Report to Programs Coordinator all anecdotal information about harmed party satisfaction

• Employ these standards of practice

• Ensure all actions are consistent with the Restorative Justice Guiding Principles adopted by the Community Justice Network of Vermont
• Convey empathy
• Avoid trying to identify or apply a fix for the harmed party’s problem(s)
• Avoid jargon
• Accept people where and how they are
• Be vigilant about harmed party safety – emotional and physical
• Keep all information confidential within the CJC
• Provide information about the process, emphasizing that it is incident-based, and give choices

ENVIRONMENT:

Work is performed in an office setting with considerable contact with people who have been affected by and responsible for crime, people in conflict, volunteers, and people from state agencies and community organizations. This work requires communication by telephone and in person with many people who are emotionally upset, confused, and/or defensive and with some who have a history of being violent. Some work and ongoing training happen outside of the office in other locations, mostly local, though occasional in-state travel may be required. This job requires a flexible schedule and occasional evening trainings and meetings. The Victim Services Specialist:

• believes in and values a restorative response to crime and conflict
• is sensitive to community values regarding crime
• believes in and is skilled in the practice of listening
• explains information in a straightforward manner and varies language and communication styles to meet the needs of the listener
• remains calm in the presence of strong emotions from others while creating an atmosphere for problem-solving and support
• is discreet and maintains confidentiality regarding people and situations
• is non-judgmental and tolerant of diverse opinions and lifestyles
• is a self-starter who is highly skilled at organizing work, keeping track of details, and following through all work to completion
• communicates skillfully on the phone, in person, and in writing
• is professional in demeanor and appearance
• empathizes with others and understands the complex nature of victims’ responses to crime.

Job Details