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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    August 01, 2000

    Wisconsin Lawyer August 2000: Letters to the Editor

    Letters


    The Wisconsin Lawyer publishes as many letters in each issue as space permits. Please limit letters to 500 words; letters may be edited for length and clarity. Letters should address the issues, and not be a personal attack on others. Letters endorsing political candidates cannot be accepted. Please mail letters to "Letters to the Editor," Wisconsin Lawyer, P.O. Box 7158, Madison, WI 53707-7158, fax them to (608) 257-5502, or email them.


    In support of restorative justice programming

    I had the pleasure of serving as a public member of the special Legislative Council Committee on Faith-Based Approaches to Crime Prevention and Justice. While I do not always agree with Rep. Jensen, I appreciate his leadership in convening a legislative forum that explored new and creative options for communities in their fight against crime.

    I was pleased to read in the May Wisconsin Lawyer of Rep. Jensen's recognition of restorative justice as "one of the most intriguing" ideas to come out of the committee. Indeed, the restorative justice provision - which created prosecutor positions in three counties to develop restorative justice programming - would have affected far more people than the other provisions of AB 533.

    The potential impact of restorative justice programming from a prosecutor's office is immense. Prosecutors are in the unique position to work collaboratively with the victims of crime, the affected community, and offenders - in conjunction with defense counsel. Prosecutors in these positions could have worked on developing the victim-offender dialog programs discussed by Rep. Jensen, and community impact panels or accountability boards. The prosecutor in Austin, Texas, has relied upon this model, which allows residents of a neighborhood to play an active role in determining what an offender needs to do to make things right after committing an offense. The panels help create stronger community bonds, which in turn help prevent crime. Thus, the criminal justice system is actively assisting communities to focus on the future, and not simply punishing offenders for wrongdoing.

    I hope that the Wisconsin Legislature revisits the concept of restorative justice next session. I urge members of the Bar to support funding for restorative justice prosecutors, should such a provision be introduced next legislative session.

    David Lerman
    Assistant District Attorney
    Milwaukee County


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