GCC Finalizes Partnership With DA Deborah Gonzalez' Office

December 6, 2022

It’s official!  GCC is moving forward with our formal partnership with District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez’ office to offer a restorative justice diversion pathway for certain high level misdemeanor and felony juvenile cases.  According to the press release related to the Memorandum of Understanding that DA Gonzalez and GCC Executive Director, Danny Malec, signed on November 16:

‍

“This program highlights the viewpoint of the DA’s office that restorative justice and diversion programming are essential components of an effective justice system. Restorative justice is the evidence-backed philosophy that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large, in which the offender takes accountability for their actions in an effort to repair harm and prevent it from happening again. This method has shown high satisfaction rates for offenders, victims, and the overall communities in which restorative justice is practiced.”

‍

As we begin to receive and facilitate restorative justice diversion cases, we will look forward to sharing more information.  In the meantime, feel free to take a look at some of the recent press that we have received about this restorative justice diversion program:

‍

Athens Banner Herald

‍

11-Alive News Atlanta

‍

DA Gonzalez’ Interview with WGAU’s Alexia Ridley

‍

other blogs and recommended reading

Remembering How to Be Friends: After COVID, One School Uses Talking Circles to Help Kids Reconnect

That predictable, structured place to safely share is critical, especially for students who want to take on society’s bigger challenges, Swearingen said. “It puts us in a spot where we can be vulnerable with each other, and because we can be vulnerable together we can be productive.”

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →

Transformative Effects of Restorative Practices

A career educator reflects on his personal and his school's transformation

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →

Praise for One-of-a-Kind Philly Diversion Program Rooted in 2020 Civil Unrest

Criminal justice reform advocates are applauding a diversion program created to resolve the hundreds of felony cases that came out of the civil unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →