Campbell Law to Host National Conference on Restorative Justice

Restorative justice is a practice that encourages offenders to take responsibility for harm they caused and work to make reparations with those affected (victims, families, etc.). Campbell Law School puts the theory to practice through its Juvenile Justice Mediation program. Established in 2003, the program allows second and third year law students the opportunity to co-mediate juvenile criminal cases from the local district

“Campbell Law School is excited to host this year’s conference, as it will bring people from around the world and around the corner to share experiences with restorative justice,” said Professor Jon Powell, director of the Juvenile Justice program at Campbell Law. “This gathering of human rights experts provides an opportunity to learn from one another and take the practice back home to our individual communities. It is my hope that the practice of restorative justice will emerge in North Carolina beyond the classroom.”

Race and gender justice activist Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will deliver the keynote address, “Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa.” Author, editor, educator and photojournalist Howard Zehr will serve as the banquet speaker.

Academics, community leaders, educators, faith leaders, judges, policymakers and concerned citizens will explore the use of restorative justice principles and practices at the conference through workshops, panels, round-table discussions and keynote addresses. For more information, visit www.restorativejusticenow.org.

Other presenters include author and professor of criminology and criminal justice at Griffith University Kathleen Daly; Professor of Social Work and Director of the Center for Family and Community Engagement at North Carolina State University Joan Pennell, MSW, PhD; Regents’ Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman Arizona College of Public Health at the University of Arizona Mary Koss; Professor and Founding Director of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work Dr. Mark Umbreit; Executive Director of the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative Penny Griffith, LICSW; and Founder of RegNet, the Regulatory Institutions Network, at the Australian National University John Braithwaite.

About Campbell Law School

Since its founding in 1976, the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. The School has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation’s top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation’s best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts more than 3,200 alumni, including 2,200 who reside and work in North Carolina. For 23 years, Campbell Law’s record of success on the North Carolina Bar Exam has been unsurpassed by any other North Carolina law school. In September 2009, Campbell Law relocated to a state-of-the-art building in downtown Raleigh. For more information, visit www.law.campbell.edu.