Restorative Denver

Restorative Denver is a partnership between the Denver District Attorney’s Office and The Conflict Center, a community-based nonprofit organization.  Cases are screened for this program and, if appropriate, referred to The Conflict Center to be handled through this community-based, restorative justice process. To be eligible for Restorative Denver, defendants must be willing to take accountability for their actions and agree to work on repairing the harm they caused, and the victims must be open to having their cases handled through restorative justice.  If the defendant successfully completes the restorative justice process, the case will be dismissed.

Benefits of Restorative Justice

• Victims have the opportunity to talk to the person who harmed them and get their questions answered.
• Victims can tell the person who harmed them how they would like the harm repaired.
• After the RJ process, victims receive a sense of closure, peace, and validation about what they experienced that the traditional criminal system does not provide.
• After the RJ process, defendants often experience greater awareness and empathy for how their actions impacted the victim and the community.
• RJ has a much lower rate of recidivism than cases prosecuted in the traditional system, which means a safer community for everyone.

Offense Profiles: 

In general, clients who have committed a Felony 3, 4, 5 or Felony 6 property offense and/or a Misdemeanor 1, 2 or 3 are eligible for Diversion. At the discretion of the District Attorney’s Office clients who have committed a misdemeanor resulting in an assault charge against their parents and/or siblings may be allowed to participate in the program. These clients and their parents/guardians must agree to participate in family counseling as well as other Diversion programs.

If a child is not involved in the Juvenile Justice System and a parent or guardian is concerned about his/her behavior, feel free to contact the Denver Juvenile Services Center at 720-913-8980, or click here for a free and confidential consultation.