Engaging Restorative Practices in Defense Work
June 15th, 4:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m
Lord Baltimore Hotel, Salon E
Restorative and Transformative Justice, through the use of peacemaking and healing circles, are processes rooted in global indigenous practices. Restorative circles are used to team-build, plan and solve conflict within systems, businesses, schools, families, and communities. Peacemaking circles can address conflict and harm by approaching communication in a non-binary way; the entire circle is responsible for each other and committed to holding space for each other’s harm and healing. In this experiential session, we will learn one process for circle-keeping and how RJ is/can be applied in defense work.
Vivianne Guevara, LCSW
Federal Defenders of New York in the Eastern District
Vivianne Guevara is the Director of Client and Mitigation Services at the Federal Defenders of New York in the Eastern District and has been working as a Defender for over 13 years. Prior to joining the Federal Defenders of New York, Vivianne was an Investigator and Social Worker at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, where she supported litigation that challenged conditions in juvenile and adult jails and prisons in Georgia and Alabama, the provision of indigent defense in Georgia, and the proliferation of debtor’s prisons in Georgia. She also worked with clients individually to reduce the impact of the collateral consequences that resulted from civil and criminal court involvement.