BARJ in Illinois - Southern

Lutheran Social Services of Illinois
1001 E. Touhy, Suite 187
Des Plaines, Illinois 60018

Phone: (847) 635-4627, (618) 997-9196, ext. 821
Email: Jane.otte@lssi.org
Contact: Jane Otte

What RJ practice/s do you use?
N/A

Specific services offered:
We work with 21 prisons and jails in Illinois to provide ways for prisoners to become accountable, competent and to give back to our communities.

What population do you serve?
Prisoners and their families in Illinois

How/where do you get referrals?
Illinois Department of Corrections, prisoners themselves, family members

Does your process, program or activity show equal concern for victims, offenders and the community of those affected?
Most often our programmatic focus has been on the families of prisoners as the secondary victims of crime. With our Building Homes program, we look at the community as affected and as the participant in the process. We do not, in a traditional sense, show equal concern.

Does the process, program or activity encourage the offender to feel accountable for his conduct, and be willing to repair the harm caused to the victim and the community of those affected, in a way that focuses on the competency development of the offender?
Storybook program-the incarcerated parent has an opportunity to speak to his/her child on tape, work toward being a better parent thus repairing the harm to the child.

Visits to Mom/Dad-the incarcerated parent has the opportunity to visits face-to-face with his/her child, work toward being a better parent thus repairing the harm to the child.

Building Homes: Rebuilding Lives-prisoners learn construction skills that are tested by building codes in local communities; they give back to communities by constructing frames, sheds and trusses for Habitat for Humanity homes; they meet the Habitat folks and recipient families so are able to give back to our communities.

Relatives As Parents-this is a facilitated support group for caregivers who are taking over the role of parents for incarcerated mothers. They get express their frustration and concern about their role as caregiver and receive support. Another secondary victim of harm.

Does the process, program or activity provide opportunities for dialogue, direct and/or indirect, between all of the community of those affected, including the victim and offender?
no

Does the process, program or activity encourage collaboration to restore and develop positive relationships among the members of the community of those affected, including the victim and the offender?
Yes as described above.