Beginning in 1992, the Vicitm Offender Reconciliation Program of Boulder County has collaborated with the justice system to provide restorative justice processes for our community as a way of addressing issues not addressed in a more traditional adversarial justice system. VORP has been a catalyst for long term answers to crime for offenders, victims, and our community. Each system has its role and provides part of the solution to the problem of administering justice. The VORP program, steeped in diverse cultural roots, gives an opportunity for reconciling and restoring relationships between victims, offenders and our community.

All processes are conducted by trained volunteers in restorative justice, mediation, facilitation, cultural competency and communication. Currently VORP offers victim-offender mediation, community group conferencing, peace circles and a reparative panel as restorative justice tools. As needed VORP staff and facilitators also work one on one with victims and offenders of crime.

VORP has three overaching aims to further its mission:

1. Reduce recidivism
2. Restore and strengthen community relationships
3. Empower victims and our community

The Restorative Justice model is distinct from existing justice system by addressing the harm caused by crime and seeking to redress that harm. VORP's historical means was bringing victim and offender together in a safe environment to discuss the crime, the impact of the crime, and the types of reparation desired. Restorative Justice is seen as an effective added tool for professionals in the criminal justice system because of its broader social objectives and its community and victim oriented approach.

VORP of Boulder County compliments the traditional justice approach by infusing the process of administering justice with the following three restorative justice dimensions:

1. Accountability
   -Offenders get to take responsibility for their actions
   -offenders face the community and victims--those they have harmed
   -offenders get to take steps to repair harm and make amends
2. Competency Development
   -Offenders learn effective communication skills
   -Offenders have a chance to acknowlege their responsibility to their community and find a way
   . to rejoin their community
   -Offenders learn skills to resolve conflicts other than violence or crime
   -Offenders have the chance to see victims as fellow humans and develop empathy
3. Victim and Community Empowerment
   -Victim and community can have the offender to take responsibility for the harm done
   -Victims and community have an opportunity to tell the offender how they feel and hear the
   . conditions that may have led to the crime
   -Victims and offenders can see each other as members of their community
   -Vicitms and community get a say in how the harm should be repaired and what sanctions
   . should be applied
   -Victims can regain a sense of safety, bringing healing and closure to the incident

VORP implements its mission of victim offender reconciliation through the following services:

• traditional VORP victim-offender mediation
• traditional victim-offender dialogue
• shoplifting solutions workshops
• victim-community dialogues
• reparative panels
• community circles or conferences
• letter of apology consultation
• various other victim and offender support services

Supporting the reduction of violence and gang incidents in local schools, VORP is a leading partner in High School Mediation Project begun at Skyline High School in Longmont, Colorado. Concerned over a high number of suspensions, particularly for violence and gang related harassment, school administrators invited VORP to provide its services for students. VORP collaborates with the City of Longmont Office of Community Rleations (OCR) and the administrators of Skyline High School to provide this program. Students who participate and reach agreement can shorten their suspensions and remain in school. Principal Tom Stumpf, acknowledges the success of the program. He sites low 8% incident of repeat offenders and a 33% decrease in-suspension days during the 2002-2003 school year that he claims are due to the program. VORP, OCR, and Skyline will continue the project in the 2005/2006 school year.

Working to resolve tenant and landlord disputes, VORP collaborates with the City of Boulder Community Mediation Services, City of Longmont OCR, and Boulder County District Attorney's Consumer Division. VORP schedules mediators to attend court sessions during eviction hearings and mediate cases referred by the presiding judge. The Denver Regional Council if Government recently awarded the Annual Local Government Innovation Award this important service.

Assisting in juvenile cases, VORP has a strong relationship with the Boulder County District Attorney's Office Diversion and Probation Program, obtaining referrals for juveniles who have committed crimes and collaborating to provide the appropriate services to them.

Referrals that do not progress to restorative justice process receive outreach services by VORP. These services, provided to both victims and offenders, can include gathering information on the status of criminal cases in the justice system, discussing available services (including victim services and restorative justice options), listening and offering feedback. VORP offers referral for domestic violence options, mental health issues, marital counseling and other supportive services when appropriate.

VORP offers victim-offender dialogues and is a founding member of the High Risk Vicitm Offender Dialgue (HRVOD Advisory Committee. The committee is a collaborative multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to facilitate a safe and supportive process for victim, offenders, and community members to communicate directly about the impact.experience of severe/violent crimes and to offer opportunities for dialogue. As part of the team, VORP helps develop and maintain policies and procedures for the program as well as providing facilitators.

In addressing shoplifting especially by juveniles, VORP works with Boulder County Sheriff's Office, the City of Boulder Police Department, Longmont Community Justice Partnership, and Boulder County Community Justice Services to provide a comprehensive education and prevention class for juvenile shoplifters. The Shoplifting Solutions Workshops (SSW) help adolescents arrested for shoplifting in Boulder County to recognize the impact to themselves their families, and the community when they commit a crime. Local shopkeepers, parents, justice system professionals, and law enforcement officials participate in classes to give participating teens a chance to meet their victims. The program shows the teens that the community cares and looks to them to fulfill their responsibilities as teens and grow into responsible adults. Towards the end, SSW helps these teens build skills in resisting temptation and how to think before acting.

In support of adult probation efforts, VORP provides consultation to offenders as they develop letters of apology in fulfillment of the requirements of their probation. Though these letters may never be sent, they represent an opportunity to admit fault and request forgiveness. The exercise often helps offenders understand the impact on their victims and perhaps on their own lives and the lives of their family.

The Victim Offender Reconciliation Program of Boulder County has had a caseload of over 60 referrals per year for the past five years. In 1993, its first fill year of operation, VORP mediated 9 cases. In 204, VORP handled 68 cases. Of these cases, 74% went to restorative processes compared to approximately 50% average in the US (see Umbreit, National Survey Victim-Offender Program, 2000) Of these cases that were processed, 98% reached agreement. In 2004, 100% of these restitution agreements were completed successfully. Since its inception, VORP has maintained a 94% completion rate for restitution agreements drawn up in restorative processes. This compares to a 56% completion rate for court ordered restitution in the State of Colorado.

VORP has consistently and highly rated in participant evaluations. 97% of participants strongly agreed or agreed that the outcome of VORP serves was satisfactory; 96% agreed that our services were helpful in resolving their dispute and 89% would recommend VORP to a friend in a similar situation. This was accomplished with a budget of $25,711 a staff of 1.25 fill time equivalents and 1443 hours of volunteer time.

VORP mediation services are free and available to all residents of Boulder County. The majority of participating offenders are juveniles

To continue to constructively impact offenders, serve their victims and address the needs of our community, VORP of Boulder County has the following goals and objectives for the next 12 months:

1. Recieve 80+ referrals with at least a 95% successful completion rate
2. Provide vital support outreach services to all referrals. These services include listening to victims and providing appropriate referrals, helping offenders to take responsibility for their actions and identify ways to repair the harm, and providing information on cases within the justice system. VORP tracks outreach by number of clients and type of service provided.
3. Utilize the volunteer services of 20+ mediators. Maintain the quality of this care with bi-monthly training workshops and mediator mentoring and supervision.
4. Maintain relationships and collaborations with public school officials and professionals within the justice system and law enforcement.
5. Increase profile of VORP in the community, especially in the business community and within social service agencies. VORP will create a speakers' bureau and offer presentations on restorative justice and VORP programs to our community.
6. Expand the High School Mediation Project and implement it in other area high schools. Maintain quality of mediation and impact.
7. VORP continues collaboratinf with the Colorado Forum on Restorative Justice in developing more accurate and preise evaluation tools. These evaluation tools will hep to provide some baselines and measures for evaluation of restorative justice agancies and mediators. VORP is clear about the value of such tools in assessing and improving our restorative justice programs.

VORP continues its work with the Boulder County Summit for Restorative Justice that involves Boulder County and Municipal judges and other representatives of the various justice agencies as well as the restorative justice providers in Boulder County. The Summit promotes restorative justice and coordinates efforts among justice providers.

Success of the program is measured by the following outcomes:

1. A satisfaction rate for program participants over 90%. This will be measured through post-mediation evaluations.
2. Successful completion rate for agreements reached in mediation of at least 94%. VORP is the liason for all financial restitution; other forms of reparation will be verified through follow-up contacts.
3. Development of existing referral sources reflcted by an increase in referrals to VORP.
4. Outreach to new agencies and organizations throughout Boulder County. A log of regular speaking engagements presented by VORP staff and volunteers will measure this.
5. A 10% increase in sustaining fundraising, with an emphasis on individual donors and fundraising events. This will be measured by actual dollors recieved.
6. VORP is one of hte two pilot programs for a new evaluation process being developed by the Forum on Restorative Community Justice. This evaluative process will eventually be used by all restorative justice programs in Colorado to develop and maintain consistent statistics on restorative justice programs.

VORP has a diversified funding base supported by foundation grants, community donations, special event fundraisers, and a stable group of major donors. The VORP Board of Directors recent fundraising efforts include VORP's Bowl-A-Thon, the annual holiday mailing to all current and former VORP supporters with a rquest for doantions. VORP also recieves funding from a number fo churches in our community including Boulder Mennonite Church, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish, and St. Andrews Presbyterian.

From 2004 to 2007 VORP has recieved grants from: First MainStreet Bank, The Lanyon / Clark Fund, The Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado, The Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, The Longmont Community Foundation, Mennonite Mutual Aid, Victim Assistance Law Enforcement Board, Frontier Village Foundation, CO Victim Advocates, and the Forum on Restorative Community Justice.