Collaborative Project at GSU to Launch a 
Web-Based Restorative Justice Clearinghouse in Summer 2009 Currently, there is no comprehensive forum 
for linking restorative justice scholars and service providers to people who want and need restorative justice services. 
A central database of information is needed in order for restorative justice programs to become accessible to citizens, communities, and institutions throughout the Southeast. The Council for Restorative Justice (CRJ is housed in the GSU School of Social Work) and The Consortium for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (CNCR is housed in GSU College of Law) announce the development and implementation of a web-based Restorative Justice Clearinghouse to be launched in summer 2009. The clearinghouse will include: • A state by state guide to statutes, case law, agencies and programs related to restorative justice; • A social forum database containing individual web pages of restorative justice practitioners; and • A searchable database of scholarly publications related to restorative justice. Restorative justice addresses wrongdoing, including crime, by acknowledging harm and encouraging accountability through structured dialogue. Restorative justice practices include a variety of methods to address wrongdoing in communities and institutions as well as in civil and criminal legal cases. The implementation of specific practices differs depending on the needs of the victim, offender, and community, but each method adheres to the basic tenets of restorative justice, turning to collaborative and inclusive processes to address the harms caused and to seek mutually agreed-upon outcomes to acknowledge and put right the wrongs. Some examples of restorative justice applications are family group conferencing, healing circles, sentencing circles, community impact panels, truth and reconciliation commissions, settling disputes in schools and the workplace, victim-offender dialogue, and defense-initiated outreach to victims of crime. CRJ receives far more requests for information and assistance than it can successfully meet. In response, CNCR is contributing legal and conflict resolution expertise along with state-of-the-art technical support to collaboratively create a regional web-based clearinghouse. This clearinghouse will foster a virtual community of restorative justice scholars and practitioners who can search for publications, statutes, and case law related to restorative justice. Practitioners will have a forum for referrals and a place to discuss practice issues with colleagues. This clearinghouse will provide invaluable access to the expertise of restorative justice scholars and practitioners for those who seek to initiate or expand restorative justice programs.
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