Promoting Justice for Victims
 Improving the Juvenile Justice System
 Strengthening Adult Offender Reentry Programs
 Preserving Family Bonds
 Providing public education, research, and advocacy

PROMOTING JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS
Victim Sensitivity Program
We facilitate mediations when victims of juvenile crime express a strong desire to meet face to face with juvenile offenders and program personnel determine that it would be safe, appropriate, and useful for all parties involved. Mediation fosters restoration and reconciliation by giving victims the opportunity to inform the offending juveniles of the personal pain and financial losses they suffered because of the juvenile's criminal actions and by giving juvenile offenders the opportunity to make amends directly to their victims.

For victims who do not want a face-to-face meeting with juvenile offenders, we write and file court orders of restitution to ensure that the victims' losses are quantified and to allow for the legal collection of restitution

Victim Restoration and Community Mediation Programs
By capitalizing on the benefits of mediation, we give victims the chance to be heard and feel that justice has been served and provide offenders with the opportunity to make restitution, complete community service, and learn skills needed to lead a law-abiding life. For example, our Adult Diversionary Program involves mediating certain misdemeanors instead of prosecuting them, so we keep the case out of court while empowering victims to help shape the resolution. Offenders who fulfill all required obligations have the charges dropped.

Services for Elderly Crime Victims
When older victims of crime who may have been robbed, assaulted, seriously harassed, or exploited financially need support, DCJ is there to help. We provide services that may include home visits, referrals for long-term counseling, transportation assistance, or accompaniment to medical and court appointments. We also provide elderly victims of domestic violence specialized case management services.

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IMPROVING JUVENILE JUSTICE
School Diversion Program
DCJ provides mediation services for selectively referred cases involving first-time juvenile offenders who are reported for low-level misdemeanors in or around school property. Mediation, counseling, restitution, community service, and case management are substituted for the adjudication process, and if the juvenile fulfills all sanctions, criminal charges are dropped

DELTA Project
In an effort to prevent intimate partner domestic violence, we use the “Developing Healthy Relationships” curriculum to teach adjudicated youth how to more effectively manage conflict and build positive relationships. Also, we provide training to Youth Rehabilitative Service facility staff and Community Service staff. Since many adjudicated young people come from violent backgrounds, a primary aim of this educational program is to help break the cycle of violence, while encouraging formation of healthy intimate relationships.

Delaware Girls Initiative
By focusing on a gender-responsive continuum of services for girls in Delaware who are at-risk or already involved in the juvenile justice system, we are raising statewide awareness of girls’ issues, identifying gaps in services, enhancing current programming, and securing funding to sustain DGI so we can develop new programs to fill those gaps. DGI also provides training to increase the skill level of professionals in the juvenile justice field.

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STRENGTHENING ADULT OFFENDER REENTRY PROGRAMS
Community Reentry Services (Prison-to-Work)
Job programs for ex-offenders are crucial to their successful reintegration into the community. DCJ's Community Reentry Services program implements a Prison-to-Work initiative that provides case management support and other crucial services that foster successful reentry. Services include housing assistance, job search assistance, identification acquisition, educational/vocational placement, life skills and social support, as well as post-employment follow-up.

Reentry Education Program
Preparing for reentry is essential to success. To ready offenders at Delaware Correctional Center and the Howard R. Young Correctional Facility for reintegration into the community, DCJ provides a Reentry Education Class to address issues surrounding reentry. Several agencies contribute information and speakers, including Goodwill Industries and the Department of Child Support Enforcement. In addition, the Department of Correction has set aside classroom space and equipment to run the program.

Offender Health Services
Offenders who are getting ready to transition from prison to the community learn about HIV prevention and risk reduction through DCJ’s Offender Health Services program. We also provide pre-release discharge planning for HIV positive offenders within one month of their release date.

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PRESERVING FAMILY BONDS
Project REACH
We facilitate visits between incarcerated mothers and their children so that mothers can practice their parenting skills and children can build positive relationships with their mothers. Mothers work together with our program manager to develop short- and long-term goals for their visits, review videotaped visits, and attend monthly support group meetings.

Read-in-Read Out” Program Through an audio-tape reading program wherein imprisoned mothers and fathers read books to their children on tape, we help to strengthen family bonds, improve literacy skills, and encourage their children to read. This service is provided in cooperation with Read-Aloud Delaware.

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PROVIDING PUBLIC EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND ADVOCACY

Our public education, research, and advocacy initiatives involve engaging the public and policymakers in reasoned discussions of criminal justice issues to improve the quality of justice in Delaware.

Position papers completed and forwarded to the media and policymakers to promote public awareness and legislative initiatives have focused on abolishing the death penalty for juveniles, restoring voting rights for ex-offenders, abolishing mandatory drug sentencing laws in Delaware, and supporting a comprehensive community corrections system.

Delaware Center for Justice co-sponsors Visions of Justice forums with Stand Up for what's Right and Just (SURJ) to explore issues impacting our justice system. Recent forums focused on issues affecting sentencing and drug policies, juvenile justice, victims' rights, offender reentry, and creating safer communities.

At our Annual Meetings, keynote speakers bring important issues to the forefront, including reform of our criminal justice laws and innovative approaches toward crime prevention and offender reentry.

Our public education initiatives include partnering with other organizations to effect positive changes in criminal justice policy. Among them are drafting, supporting and/or opposing legislation; developing and implementing the Delaware Collaboration for Youth, a statewide effort to help keep our young people out of the child welfare and juvenile justice systems; administrating the Delaware Girls Initiative to create a gender-responsive continuum of services for girls in Delaware who are at-risk or already involved in the juvenile justice system; and serving as a member of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) collaborative, contributing to the process of reducing overcrowding in Delaware’s detention facilities.

Central to our public education activities is Commentary, our quarterly newsletter, and our website www.dcjustice.org.

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