Lake Junaluska, NC – Professor Howard Zehr, a founder of the Restorative Justice Movement, will explore the concept of restorative justice at the Chautauqua Lecture Series at Lake Junaluska, September 30 – October 1, 2011.
On Friday, September 30, at 7:00 p.m. in Shackford Hall, Professor Zehr will give a free public lecture on “The Promise and Challenge of Restorative Justice.” Restorative Justice begins with a focus on the victim and the injury to individuals and communities caused by crime. Zehr’s lecture will explore the emphasis on repairing harm and offender accountability has amazing “side-effects” such as reduced recidivism for both violent and property crimes, reduction in victims’ experience of post-traumatic stress, and a bringing of shared satisfaction that real justice has been achieved.
On Saturday, October 1, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., Zehr will lead two workshops examining the ways that Restorative Justice can reform our criminal justice system. That afternoon, Professor Zehr will turn to this other passion, photography, to initiate a discussion on the uses of photography in peace-making. Zehr finds that photography of victims and offenders can humanize those who are otherwise ignored or stereotyped. It is this process of confronting human realities and needs that drives restorative justice and that is essential to building healthy communities. An exhibit of his photographs will accompany the lecture and workshops.
Howard Zehr is Professor of Restorative Justice at the Center for Justice and Peace at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Widely known as “the pioneer of restorative justice,” Zehr has been developing and teaching the principles and practices of restorative justice for over thirty years. He has led hundreds of events in some 25 countries and 35 states, including trainings and consultations on restorative justice, victim-offender conferencing, judicial reform, and other criminal justice matters. His impact has been especially significant in the United States, Brazil, Japan, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Britain, the Ukraine, and New Zealand, a country that has restructured its juvenile justice system into a family-focused, restorative approach.
The Evans lecture series was inaugurated in 2009 by the Cornerstone Class of First United Methodist Church in Waynesville to honor the legacy of Claude and Maxilla Evans and is supported by their numerous friends and admirers. Claude was the founding leader of the Cornerstone class to which he brought a lifetime of theological reflection on social justice. Maxilla’s passion was always the natural world. A self-trained botanist and ornithologist, she devoted herself to the native plants of the Appalachian mountains and to efforts to preserve wild spaces and habitats. They both were active in the local peace movement. This series is brought to you by the Cornerstone Class, together with Lake Junaluska Ministries and the local Mennonite Community.
Workshop registration is available online at www.lakejunaluska.com/chautauqua/ or call 828-454-6656. The cost is $45, and Continuing Education Credits are available for both the lecture and workshops.