Community Restorative Justice Award

History of the Award

The Community Restorative Justice Award was initially conceived of as an award given in association with the Center for Restorative Justice at Suffolk University. It was given in recognition of restorative justice service to the community. From 2002 – 2006 the BTI ran a series of Restorative Justice Workshops with the Center for Restorative Justice and other entities in the Greater Boston Area. As those workshops evolved into the program of Religion and Conflict Transformation, after 2003, faculty from BTI schools associated the Tasks Force on Overcoming Violence, became the consulting body for this award.

2001-2002   Judge Tom Merrigan for work on the Bench using the Principles of Restorative Justice

2002-2003   Chief Leonard Wetherbee for work in local Policing through Restorative Justice Principles

2003-2004   Rev. Dr. Michael Haynes for Leadership in Church and Commonwealth in Massachusetts

2004-2005   Rev. Michael Lapsley for work with the Healing of Memories

2005-2006   Richard Parker for Leadership in Global Humanitarian Work

2006-2007   Marshall Ganz for Leadership in Labor and Other Organizing Efforts

2008-2009   Leonel Narvaez Gomez for work witih the Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation

2009-2010   Diana Eck, Harvard University, for her work with the Pluralism Project

Criteria for the Award

The criteria for the award is to select a person who best exemplifies the principles of Restorative Justice, concern for the intersection of victim, perpetrator and community safety, in local settings

Process for the Award

A nominee is to be vetted by faculty from BTI schools teaching in related areas, generally associated with the Religion and Conflict Transformation program. The individual is to be selected in the fall term and then ratified by the BTI Board of Trustees. The person selected is to be invited to an appropriate event of the BTI and given the award.