Renville County’s Circles program aims to build support systems for youth – West Central Tribune

OLIVIA — The umbrella term “restorative justice” encompasses a philosophy that seeks to build relationships within communities to solve problems and hold people accountable for the problems they may have caused or suffered from.

Andrew Peltz, Renville County restorative justice coordinator, said the county’s Circles program provides additional support to youth, their parents and community members, usually after someone has committed “wrong behavior” or harmed another person, directly or indirectly.

It may involve a child whose behavior is disruptive at school, or a family with children dealing with an open case or social services assessment. The West Central Tribune spoke with Peltz in an interview and also attended a presentation he gave in Olivia.

Used in conjunction with – or sometimes as an alternative to – traditional systems such as probation, the juvenile court and delinquency system, family services, etc., using Circles is a way to build connections and healthy relationships, something Peltz said is core of all healing and essential for personal growth.

Peltz first practiced the Circle process in 2014 while working as an intern at Southwest Health and Human Services, a multi-county agency that provides services ranging from public health to child care and foster care licensing to social services for children and families. He worked with a grant that integrated Circles within some public schools serving Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Redwood and Rock counties.

He was appointed restorative justice coordinator for Renville County in 2018, when the Renville County Board of Commissioners sought to create a standalone restorative justice program within the county to combat out-of-home placements for youth and reduce recidivism among juvenile offenders. within the legal system.

Contributed / Renville County

Peltz began building the foundation with 20 volunteers, and the first Circle was created in July 2019, bringing together families from the community.

“We created the program, and when I say ‘we’ I mean me and my community volunteers, because without them this is counseling with Andrew,” he said.

Volunteers donated 6,435 hours of their time, saving Renville County more than $200,000 that would otherwise have been spent on traditional services, according to estimates from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

The program itself is based on a Native American tradition in which communities literally met in circles to discuss disagreements and come up with solutions to achieve shared goals.

Participation is also completely voluntary. Once a person is accepted into a Circle, the process begins with meeting and getting to know other members.

A circle usually consists of a young person, their parents or other support people, various community volunteers and the restorative justice coordinator. Victims can also participate if they wish and if applicable.

Peltz said he usually has 20 to 35 volunteers, averaging about five volunteers per Circle, but there can be as many as eight people within one Circle, including himself. The program allows each participant to share his or her stories with each other, something Peltz says is really powerful.

Each Circle adheres to its own rules to establish guidelines for how each individual should behave, reflecting values ​​such as respect, consensus, compassion and equality.

Within Circle, everyone has the opportunity to speak undisturbed. A talking piece is always used and passed to indicate when someone has time to talk without interruptions. Sometimes the conversation piece is an important item for the participants; other times, items such as fidget spinners are used for those who need to keep their hands busy while speaking.

The Circle as a whole then opens a dialogue with the youth to determine how and why they were referred to the program, and what they can do to repair any harm.

Peltz said Circle can be a time-consuming process, but it allows participants to truly express their opinions, knowing they won’t be interrupted, and therefore heard.

Asking questions like, “Who was harmed?” “What are the victim’s needs?” ‘Has the offending party been held accountable for any damage it may have caused?’ “What support might they need?” allows people to address more deep-seated issues beyond the main reason for which they may have been referred.

Peltz said these questions give people a chance to open up and explain themselves, sometimes between the perpetrator and the victim. The Circle then comes up with a shared action plan as a group, putting decisions back into the hands of those most affected.

According to figures from Peltz, a total of 753 circles – or meetings of one of the volunteer groups – took place between July 2019 and July 2024. Circles meet approximately twice a month, for approximately two hours each time, and may have more than one referred client present and talking during these meetings.

The amount of time a client spends in the process depends on each case. Peltz said a client typically spends 12 to 16 months in the Circle process. Some even come back to participate after they “graduate” because they just like the support it brings, Peltz said.

One example Peltz gave was a young man who had been a victim of abuse as a child and, as a result, spent much of his time in alternative learning environments, and began to exhibit some concerning behavior as he moved from shelter to shelter. It was expected that the young man would return to his home permanently in 2019.

To ensure a smooth transition, the youth were referred to one of the first circles in Renville County.

Peltz said the young man’s mother believes the Circle trial saved her son’s life.

The impact went much deeper, as the same young man eventually gave back his own time as a volunteer to the Circle and mentored other young people. Peltz maintains contact with the man, now 21 years old, who works independently and lives in North Dakota.

Peltz emphasized that Circle, despite his training and experience, is not therapy, stating that volunteers do not need to understand the nuances of mental health or treatment to join a Circle.

“This is an experience,” he said, adding that the experience is really the most useful training anyone can get.

“Most have no idea that just sitting and listening, giving someone their time and sharing some of your own lessons learned can have such an impact on your own life story. It’s not therapy… but it certainly has therapeutic value, I would say, and who couldn’t use that?’

Peltz said that with people spending so much time on the Circle program, they can’t help but build a sense of community. He’s seen it happen in the five years since Renville County adopted the program.

People step up. They offer rides, he said. They come to court to support someone and help someone find a job in the area.

He recalled an instance where a client at Circle had undergone inpatient drug treatment. After the client completed treatment and received their own stable home, volunteers within their Circle sent housewarming gifts.

Peltz said he never asks volunteers to go to such lengths, but things like that just happen after Circle members spend months or even years together.

“It is the meaning of community; that’s why I’m passionate about it… it builds better people,” Peltz said.