LEWISTON — Restorative Justice Consultant Margaret Micolichek will present “When We Cry for Justice, What Do We Really Mean?” at this month’s Great Falls Forum from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, March 17, in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library, 200 Lisbon St.
Restorative justice is a relatively new concept within the criminal justice system. It attempts to repair the harm done by crime by bringing together victims, offenders and community members.
While the idea has been slowly gaining acceptance nationally, it has been put into practice throughout Maine at Lewiston Middle School, Bates College and School Administrative District 17 in Oxford Hills.
Micolichek has been a leading advocate for implementing restorative justice in Maine. She is the former director of the Restorative Justice Project in Belfast and is currently working at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. Here she is working on developing an initiative aimed at helping youths understand the impact of the harm they have caused and supporting their community reintegration throughout the state.
In her presentation, she will review the many forms restorative justice efforts have taken across the state over the past few decades and will explore how Maine is utilizing the practice in educational settings and within the criminal justice system today. A question-and-answer session will follow.
Admission is free and reservations are not required. This program is a bring-your-own brown-bag lunch event. Coffee, tea and bottled water will be available at the library.
The Great Falls Forum is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library and the Sun Journal.
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