A Restorative Justice Project
Creating safe spaces for healing.
Healing Beyond Harm
We aim to restore the safety and empowerment of people who were harmed and the people who caused the harm.
Healing Beyond Harm is a restorative justice project launched in partnership with municipal agencies and the community.
Healing Beyond Harm invests in the emotional and mental well-being of people through a restorative and trauma-informed approach to healing.
A restorative sense of well-being can help people reach their full potential, which benefits all of society.
Why Restorative Justice?
Restorative Justice has deep roots in indigenous peacemaking. This community-led philosophy promotes emotional healing through accountability for harm caused. An honest conversation about what happened and why it happened can bring peace of mind to survivors who are plagued by these questions. Only the person responsible for the harm has the answers they seek.
Through restorative justice, Healing Beyond Harm strives to:
- Restore the balance that was disrupted by the harm.
- Involve the crime survivor(s), the person who is responsible for the harm, and the affected community.
How Healing Beyond Harm Works
Healing Beyond Harm involves two trauma-informed restorative elements:
A Restorative Dialogue focuses on the crime’s impact through a conversation between the crime survivor(s) and the person responsible for the harm.
An Apology Letter Bank promotes meaningful healing by allowing an incarcerated person, or a person who caused harm, to write a letter of apology to the crime survivor(s).
A National Movement to Repair Harm
Twenty states have active apology letter banks and opportunities for restorative dialogues (also known as Victim Offender Dialogue). This project aims to bring Illinois into these restorative practices within its system of Corrections.
In partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections Victim Services Division, Healing Beyond Harm will provide accepted apology letters to the survivor the letter is addressed to. Healing Beyond Harm will offer facilitation for further communication if the crime survivor so desires.
Quotes from Participants / Recipients
“For far too long we, the incarcerated population of Illinois, have not been permitted to participate in any restorative healing processes with our survivors that might help to mitigate the harms we’ve caused them. I sought to do this in the past, but there was no official vehicle for me to do so. I earnestly feel that without any such vehicle, survivors are being robbed out of the opportunity to heal as completely as they possibly could. I believe that this is not only harmful to them, but to us as well. This program has done much to remedy that, and has done so much more as well.”
- Program Participant
“I am old now. And I forgive the man who killed my grandchild. I am pleased that he has changed, and that his heart is set on doing good things in the world.”
- Healing Beyond Harm Letter Recipient
Illinois Department of Corrections Apology Letter Sites
People incarcerated in Illinois River are invited to participate in workshops facilitated by Healing Beyond Harm to begin the apology letter writing process.
Restorative Justice Partners
Justice, Equity, and Opportunity Initiative Lieutenant Governor's Office
Illinois Department of Corrections
The Institute on Public Safety and Social Justiceat Adler University
