Cumberland Kiwanis
Minutes of December 14, 2009
Speaker: Ted Lewis
Topic: Barron County Restorative Justice
Program
Ted Lewis provided a detailed
overview of the County Restorative Justice Program. He noted that the program has six separate programs and six
workshops held in schools and with victims of crime. The goals of the programs are learning about the impact of crime
on victims and building a sense of responsibility with offenders.
In place of a fine, a traffic
violation ticket may require attending group meetings and learning about
driving safety and the effect of crime on the community.
Results of the program have
been good. Cumberland has had 8
cases in teen court. The ÒTime for
LifeÓ program helps to combat underage drinking. Organizations such as Kiwanis can help by providing mentors.
Currently there are 8 County
employees in the program. Lewis
hope to decentralize the program in the coming years and make it even more
community based.