“Accountability” in Restorative Justice: What Does it Mean?

“Accountability” in Restorative Justice: What Does it Mean?

with Mika Dashman and Sethu L. Nair

Sponsored by ACR-GNY and 

The CUNY Dispute Resolution Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Tuesday, October 18 6:30-9:00 p.m.

Program: 6:30-8:30

Networking: 8:30-9:00 p.m.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice 

524 West 59th Street, Room 630

Free for ACR-GNY Members and John Jay Students; $25 for Non-Members

About the Program:

Underpinning all restorative justice practices (i.e. circles, conferences and victim/offender dialogue) is a set of values or principles. These include: empathy, interconnection, self-determination, reparation and accountability. The restorative approach to accountability is radically different from the mainstream. 

We live in a culture in which accountability is generally equated with punishment imposed by an authority figure – be it a judge, a teacher, parent or an esteemed member of our community. We have created a vast web of responses, policies, and approaches — from our justice system to our schools to our own families — that reflect this understanding. 

But in restorative justice accountability is seen as a process that a person who caused harm must actively engage—where possible—with the person and/or community harmed. 

We will explore the implications of this paradigm shift and engage attendees in a discussion of strategies for shifting public and personal perception about accountability.

Co-Presenters:

Mika Dashman is an attorney, mediator and a zealous advocate for restorative justice.  She is the Founder and Lead Organizer at the Restorative Justice Initiative, a Partner Project of the Fund for the City of New York.  Restorative Justice Initiative is a citywide, cross-sector advocacy project promoting restorative principles, practices and programs throughout New York City.  Mika is a New York State-certified mediator and she currently mediates criminal court cases and facilitates community conferences through the New York Peace Institute.  Mika also facilitates peacemaking/community-building circles for organizations, student and professional groups.  Prior to beginning her work in alternative dispute resolution, Mika spent more than six years providing direct legal services to indigent individuals at several New York City non-profits, including Housing Works, Inc., where she also worked on all aspects of the agency’s civil rights impact docket.  Mika is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the City University of New York School of Law.      

Sethu L. Nair currently serves as Conflict Resolution Specialist at The Center for Creative Conflict Resolution within OATH in NYC government - where she provides mediations, individual conflict coaching, and strategic consultations across New York City agencies. As a Mediator, she has worked on family and divorce matters, small business disputes, non-profit staff board challenges and community discords and conducted workshops among couples, in non-profit organizations, and in prisons. As a Restorative Justice practitioner, she has conducted circles in schools, families, and neighborhoods and is a founding team member of Hidden Water NYC, a program that uses Restorative circles to heal the impact of child sexual abuse within a family system. She has also worked in various human rights organizations in New York and India on issues ranging from gender-based violence, poverty, and homelessness. Sethu is a certified Mediator, Circle Keeper and holds a Bachelors in Women's Studies from SUNY Purchase, and a Masters in Economic and Political Development from Columbia University. She is also always attempting to not take herself too seriously.