RALEIGH – The unique work Campbell Law School’s Restorative Justice Clinic is doing is featured on a new episode of WHQR Public Media’s The Newsroom in Wilmington, North Carolina.
“Reconciliation and restoration are key to relationships: but they rarely come up in the criminal justice system,” states Wilmington’s WHQR Public Media on its website. “That may soon change, as North Carolina makes Restorative Justice an integrated part of the Department of Public Safety.
“The justice system frames criminal cases in a particular way: the state versus the defendant. That means the victims are peripheral to their own cases, often feeling a loss of control even as they seek justice.
“But an alternative method has come to the fore in recent years: restorative justice. It treats crime as a problem for the entire community, a harm that must be mended. And it treats the perpetrator as someone who can make amends: even in cases as severe as rape and murder.”
In this episode, listeners will “hear from both sides of restorative justice: both a victim and a defendant. One survived a brutal rape, and one committed a murder. Both say their experiences with restorative justice were life-changing, unforgettable and important,” the WHQR website continues.
“North Carolina is on the cusp of codifying restorative justice into its victim services programs, joining dozens of other states. We’ll dig into what that means.”
The clinic, which holds the distinction of being the law school’s first pro bono clinic, is directed by Professor Jon Powell ‘98, who discusses details about two of the clinic’s cases that were completed last year.
Listen to the broadcast at this link.
Part of the mission of the Restorative Justice Clinic is to help spread the word of restorative justice throughout the state and to assist others in starting restorative justice programming. Powell has spoken to numerous groups on the topic of restorative justice and has assisted organizations in starting mediation programs based on the Campbell model.
To learn more about the Restorative Justice Clinic, visit this link.
ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL
Since its founding in 1986, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, 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 nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2024, Campbell Law is celebrating 45 years of graduating legal leaders and 15 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina’s Capital City.