FACE relies exclusively on volunteer facilitators to enable its work. We sincerely appreciate the people who generously contribute their time to provide FACE services to the community.
"From both sides, there are good reports. If you ask people who've been involved -- including police officers -- they will say it not only solves the problem by bringing people together, but it builds the community. It gives people a new perspective on how to deal with each other. It carries over into everyday life."
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--As reported in the "Beyond Crime & Punishment" article, The Midland Mirror, January 6, 2009, p.3 and p.5, by Nicole Million
"What I've discovered, especially when dealing with young offenders and young adults, most of the problems that end in criminal court really stem from a family problem. Restorative justice says that the offender doesn't drop out of the sky, they come from their family and the community.
If you want to fix the problem, you have to fix the whole family or community, and vice versa, the whole family and community has to take responsibility of fixing the problem, including the offender.
"I try to live it [Restorative Justice principles] and then it leaks into the rest of my life... Every time I do a circle [as a facilitator], I know I belong there."
"(People) look for the quick fix to get back into the rat race. Historic [restorative] justice says you gotta slow down and pay attention.
There's a large resistance to it because it forces everyone to slow down. In a sense, it's a cumbersome way of solving problems because everyone has to drop what they're doing, come together and spend at least two hours together for what appears to be one incident.
What's hidden behind that appearance is that one incident plants the seed for a new way of thinking. That's why families find it so valuable, because it plants the seed for a new way of thinking in relating to each other, so it builds and changes relationships, which changes the way of living for everyone involved in the cirlce. It actually gets into the root causes of problems and shows a different living of life."
--Martin Prost, President, Facilitator & FACE Board Member, as quoted in the February 18, 2009 article titled "FACE TIME," by Christina Bernardo, Midland FreePress, p.4
"Suppose there were 100 people involved in circles... 100 victims, lus 100 offenders, plus their supporters... If you multiply that, you're talking several hundred people in our community who are now made aware of a process that can help mediate these difficult times.
Our community is strengthened because of this healing process. We (need to) work together to solve problems that are solvable."
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--As reported in the "Beyond Crime & Punishment" article, The Midland Mirror, January 6, 2009, p.3 and p.5, by Nicole Million
"They [the offenders] tend to cycle through the system, and they don't get to be confronted with what they've done. Somebody else speaks for them and they don't learn much.
They talk to their friends with bravado about going to court and quite often cycle back into the criminal system in a more serious offence. It just keeps going and they never learn anything."
~~The inability to have one's voice heard is the same for victims...
"They [the victims] have no say usually, except sometimes with the victim impact statement. They don't really get to confront and deal with what happened and get on with life. It's something that just hangs there."
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--As reported in the "Beyond Crime & Punishment" article, The Midland Mirror, January 6, 2009, p.3 and p.5, by Nicole Million
"I've found while working with young people, if you give them an opportunity and responsibility... they'll take it."
