Restorative Justice

The goal of the Chippewa County Circle Sentencing and Mentoring Program is to help youths succeed at home, at school, and within the community. Both programs utilize mentors/volunteers who have generously donated their time to help their community. However, each program reaches out to the community in different ways.

Circle Sentencing

Circle Sentencing takes a reactive approach to crime in Chippewa County by recruiting volunteers who meet with juveniles who have committed crimes in the hopes of rehabilitating them without the use of traditional punishments (jail, probation, etc.). The Circle Sentencing Coordinator, volunteers and juvenile (and family of the juvenile) meet several times a month and discuss goals and objectives that all parties agree upon.

Some of these goals may include:

• Community service
• Finding a job
• Getting good grades
• Going to school
• Paying restitution

Once all goals have been met, and the Circle feels that the juvenile has been rehabilitated, the juvenile will graduate from Circle Sentencing and have his/her record cleared of the charges that required him/her to go to circle.

Mentoring Program

The Mentoring Program takes a proactive approach to supporting youth who are referred to the program by recruiting volunteers that participate in activities and spend extra time with youth in their community. These volunteers and youths meet several times a month and participate in activities together.

Some of these activities include (but are not limited to):

• Assistance with extracurricular activities
• Cooking
• Fishing
• Movies
• Sports activities

Mentors do this by providing activities for the youth, providing an additional role model in the youth's life and being an outlet for them when they need to talk about something or need some guidance. For more information on the Mentoring Program in Chippewa County, contact Courtney Buseman by phone at 320-269-2688.