Études de cas
Justice réparatrice
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Author of case study:
Marcela Torres Molano
Geopolitical location of space:
5114 S Elizabeth St
Back of the Yards neighborhood
Chicago, Illinois
Extant?
Yes
Architect:
Not specified
Start date: 2002
End date: ongoing
A center for RJ practices seeking alternatives to violence in Back of the Yards neighbourhood. They promote a restorative justice approach to conflict, to build a sense of community and to restore human dignity through “hospitality, hope and healing.”
The Centre works with judges and the police office to avoid sending youths to the judicial system. They also work with people that are currently incarcerated. The centre promotes all stages for restorative initiatives, from the initial encounter of responsible and survivor, to services of recovery for the youth offenders, such as reintegration to the education system, mental health support, workforce development, and community activities such as urban gardening and art initiatives.
Yes, sometimes judges send youth offenders to the centre to resolve a particular conflict. In that case, the centre facilitators sit in a peace circle with that youth, the perpetrator, and the survivor, and try to find a way to repair the harm.
Yes, one of the main core values of the centre is providing safe listening spaces for both the restorative conferences and individual encounters with youth offenders.
Youth, families, and community members living in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighbourhood who are impacted by violence and the criminal justice system. Also, men and women who are currently incarcerated.
This is a private space from Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation, a Catholic non-profit organisation, however, it is a community space open for all members of the neighbourhood.
The centre is located in a neighbourhood with one of the highest crime rates in Chicago. A neighbourhood where gang violence is a persistent social problem affecting all members of the community.
The main centre is located in a reused (no date) two-floor brick building that was previously used as a public school. It is surrounded by a big green open space that includes an outdoors multi sport field, the urban garden and a parking lot.
The centre has an art dedicated space called “ART ON 51st”, in which they have areas for drawing, painting, and design, as well as a pottery studio and a wood workshop. They provide a space for art, as they consider it a valuable tool in the process of restorative justice because it gives youth an opportunity for the expression of their own ideas and feelings.
In the outdoors, the center has an urban farm space, where they plant and harvest organic products such as garlic, tomatoes, eggplants and potatoes. The Urban Farm contributes weekly to food pantries and anti-hunger programs to alleviate food shortage burdens for community members.
In 2018, the PBC purchased and renewed their second house, “the hospitality house” as a temporary emergency housing for RJ.
“Restorative justice recognises that crime hurts everyone: victims, offenders and the community” (Butigan, 2013).
The centre is located in one of the most violent areas of the city. According to Juan Acuña (2005), the violence in the neighbourhood impacts all members of the community, leaving a lot of trauma among everyone. As a consequence, many of the youth that arrive at the centre feel unsafe and unable to trust people; they all know someone who has been shot or someone who has been killed. Moreover, becoming a member of a gang is the way to survive in the area. “Lots of them tell me I’m a gang member but I’m not a gang banger, so they make that distinction” (Contreras, 2015).
As a response, the main purpose of the centre is to find ways to repair damage caused by gang and gun violence and to prevent youth incarceration. Most of the cases followed by Precious Blood include circle repair meetings as well as an entire support network. For instance, they provide food and clothes, help to go back to school, as well as services they may need, such as substance abuse or trauma therapy.
The centre facilitates five types of RJ circles offered to different audiences:
Whenever possible RJ practices in this centre go further than a meeting between responsible and survivor, creating connections between community members. For instance one of the cases was a police officer victim of a robbery. After the circle with the young responsible, he was able to empathise with the offender. Later the officer became the young man’s mentor.
Further, the centre is working with different organisations to create restorative justice hubs, a collaborative work between different groups around the city to collect information that will prove policymakers the effectiveness of the RJ programs.
est auteure, conférencière, chroniqueuse et podcasteuse dans les domaines de l'architecture et des arts décoratifs. Elle termine sa maîtrise en histoire de l'art à l'Université Concordia, à Montréal, et détient un baccalauréat en commerce avec une majeure en marketing de la John Molson School of Business. Elle a étudié la psychologie industrielle à Los Angeles, en Californie. Sicotte est l'auteure de deux ouvrages publiés sur le design (2015, 2018) aux éditions Cardinal.
est candidate colombienne au doctorat au Département d'histoire de l'art de l'Université Concordia. Elle a une formation en design architectural et en activisme communautaire et détient une maîtrise en bâtiment et design urbain de la Bartlett School of Architecture à Londres, en Angleterre. Ses intérêts se concentrent sur l'art socialement engagé, les mouvements sociaux, l'activisme collaboratif dans des scénarios post-conflit, l'art produit collectivement et l'art produit en relation avec le cadre bâti.
est candidat au doctorat en sciences humaines à l'Université Concordia. Ses recherches portent sur l'agentivité spatiale, l'esthétique sociale, les récits des jeunes et les représentations graphiques de la mémoire urbaine. Il a publié sur la relation entre les enfants, le jeu et l'espace public à Carthagène, en Colombie. Il a également travaillé comme éditeur sur des projets littéraires, dont Territorio Fértil, qui a reçu le prix María Nelly Murillo Hinestroza pour la littérature afro-colombienne.
est professeure agrégé et Chaire de recherche du Canada en architectures de justice spatiale (niveau 2) à l'École d'architecture Peter Guo-hua Fu de l'Université McGill, Montréal, Québec, Canada. Ses intérêts de recherche comprennent le logement à loyer modique et le design participatif, la protestation civile et le design urbain, ainsi que les paysages des campus et la race. Ses publications incluent le livre co-édité, Orienting Istanbul (2010) et le livre (auteure unique), Istanbul Open City (2018).
est artiste et professeure d'histoire de l'art à l'Université Concordia. Ses travaux portent sur les femmes et l'histoire du cadre bâti, les paysages urbains, la recherche-création et l'histoire orale. Elle a publié sur l'histoire spatiale du mouvement pour le suffrage des femmes, l'art public, les jardins et les politiques du changement urbain. En plus de ses recherches sur les espaces de justice réparatrice et transitionnelle, elle dirige un projet d'histoire orale sur les mémoires urbaines des montréalais et montréalaises.
est un ancien titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en interprétation de l'histoire orale (2016-2021). Il est professeur agrégé au Département de théâtre de l'Université Concordia et codirecteur du Centre d’histoire orale et de récits numérisés (CHORN) de Concordia. Sa subvention de la Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation en infrastructure lui a permis de créer le Laboratoire d'écoute active (ALLab) en 2018. Basé au CHORN, l'ALLab est un centre de recherche-création de premier plan pour le pouvoir transformateur de l'écoute.