Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig and Neighborhood Court Program Coordinator Nicole Kirkaldy offered a virtual presentation on restorative justice issues last week to the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Yolo’s Neighborhood Court is one of the few in the country to use restorative justice practices to resolve cases for adults facing criminal convictions. The program began as a pilot project serving first-time offenders in the city of Davis in 2013. By 2015, the program had expanded to include West Sacramento, Woodland and other areas of Yolo County.
Neighborhood Court has broadened beyond the scope of its original design and has expanded its eligibility criteria to include some low-level felony crimes and offenders who may have had previous convictions. It allows offenders the ability to resolve criminal cases outside of the traditional court process without receiving a conviction.
The program relies heavily upon community volunteers, who meet with participants to discuss the harms from their conduct in an effort to reach an appropriate resolution that addresses the underlying causes of the criminal offense.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is always looking for innovative ways to better serve our community. The Neighborhood Court program is a great example of that innovation and is an effective model for criminal justice reform. Many other California counties have begun to develop similar programs with the help of our Neighborhood Court staff, and officials in other states have expressed interest as well.
After making a trip out to California in October 2019 to see Yolo’s Neighborhood Court in action, District Attorney Jason Hicks of Oklahoma’s Sixth Prosecutorial District asked Reisig and Kirkaldy to share information about the program to the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee.
During the Oct. 20 presentation, Hicks explained how he got interested in restorative justice as an alternative form of justice in Oklahoma.
“The presentation was exactly what we needed and it went really well. The comments from legislators and others in attendance were very positive and encouraging,” Hicks said. “The way the program was presented caused many of the people in the room to want the program yesterday.”
Reisig said he “looks forward to seeing a Restorative Justice Neighborhood Court program implemented in Oklahoma. I am very proud of our program and was honored to share our perspective as well as what has made our program a success.”
View the full presentation here: https://bit.ly/35p1tYv.
Volunteers for the program are always needed. For more information about Neighborhood Court, or to sign up as a volunteer, visit http://www.yoloda.org/nc, or contact program staff at 530-666-8378 or neighborhoodcourt@yolocounty.org.