Adults take for granted the ability to resolve conflict — a skill perfected over a lifetime. Missouri State professor Dr. Charlene Berquist hopes to offer victims, offenders and other at-risk youths the opportunity to build the skills needed to pull themselves out of a justice system that may swallow them up.
She discusses the Restorative Justice program at the Center for Dispute Resolution – a center she serves as the director for.
Due to the fact the offenders are juveniles, the parents play an important role, she added.
The Center for Dispute Resolution is a valued community resource and Berquist is proud of the work that all parties put into the mediation process. The research that she conducts also shows that the services are working.
