RADIUS Program for Girls in Minnesota Offers a Gender-Specific Model

Corrections professionals are looking for new models that can effectively address the needs of women and girls in the correctional system and take on the unique challenges they pose. For the past six years, the Minnesota Department of Corrections has partnered with AMICUS (a nonprofit agency) and

RADIUS is an innovative effort that blends the philosophies of restorative justice with the best practices of gender-responsive programming for girls under 18. Restorative services are provided to girls while they are in residential placement, during their transition and furlough, and after release. The two key components of the program are restorative justice circles and grief and trauma counseling.

First, using the principles and practices of restorative justice, "circles" of significant people in a girl's life (immediate and extended family, past service providers, teachers, probation officers, social workers, elders, friends and sometimes victims) gather to speak from the heart about the girl, her issues,her past and her future. Circles are held in the girl's home community, both before and after her release from her residential placement. A "talking piece" is passed from hand to hand, allowing each person to speak freely and without interruption. The circle provides a safe space to express support, discuss difficult issues (often for the first time), understand family dynamics and plan for the future.