Two years as an Apprentice with Community Justice Scotland – a place like no other. Always there for each other, it’s a caring, genuine, place to be. I will be a better me. Starting this job, I had a totally different perception of how it would go – I thought I was going to be…
“If someone has a conviction, it doesn’t mean they won’t be a good worker…
…Everyone has a past and deserves a second chance. If they have the right attitude, turn up for work on time and put in the hard graft then we will give anyone a chance.” We speak to the JAD Joinery Ltd. team about our new campaign, smart justice in action: employability. The campaign is aimed…
Safety is Paramount
Last week as part of the Restorative Practice Forum Northern Ireland’s (RPFNI) 25th Anniversary Conference, I attended a workshop on whether restorative justice can be applied in cases of intimate partner violence. For my final blog of #RJWeek, I’d like to share some of the points discussed. The workshop included representation from police, probation services,…
A Culture of Restoration
To me, it is important to acknowledge that, as individuals, we can embody restorative values as a means to prevent harm and to address it, if it occurs. While we can formalise approaches to restorative justice, we can also ‘become more restorative’ in the way we engage with others, both personally and professionally. In addition…
The Power of Harm
The great Tim Chapman from the University of Ulster introduced Narrative Approaches to me some time ago. And, in particular the work of Michael White who said in 2007, ‘the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem.’ When a crime is committed, the problem is not the person who committed harm, the…
Meet our Apprentice, Jade
My name is Jade Kilkenny. I am one year into my apprenticeship with Community Justice Scotland – with one year to go! This apprenticeship is not like any other modern apprenticeships that I’ve come across. In this job, my work is tailored around my development, building confidence, creating new experiences and relationships. During my apprenticeship,…
Fact-finding in Finland: a search for Smart Justice
By Laura Hoskins It started with a tweet. Our Chief Executive saw a tweet from @cisweb – Children In Scotland – about their proposed study visit to Helsinki in April. Finland is often held up to be a country that Scotland aspires to. We already share some features: a similar population –…
Rewriting Scotland’s Story
By Mairi Clare Rodgers If you were at the Citizens Theatre on Friday 9 March, you might have been a bit startled when you were handed a program with this emblazoned across the front. Especially as what you were attending was organised by Community Justice Scotland. So how did we get here? Six months…
Let’s talk about debt – Kim McGuigan
“Burying your head in the sand does not make you invisible, it only leads to suffocation” Wayne Gerard Trotman Debt is a word I’ve always known. From as young as I can remember, I used to be sent to the door to tell the Provie wuman (provident loans) or Shopacheck or whoever my mum didn’t…
Venture Trust – investing in smart justice
“My life has totally changed. I’m in a brilliant place with my son. I’ve got a fighting chance to get him home….these are things that would never have happened before,”