This information applies to The Restorative Justice Youth Conferencing Program (RJYC) and The RESTORE Program for shoplifting.

A youth offender may be referred to RJYC from many areas:

• Local Law Enforcement Agencies
• Poudre School District
• Fort Collins Municipal Court
• District Attorney's Office

In all cases there are three minimum requirements for RJYC:

1. The offender takes responsibility for his actions.
2. The (youth) offender's parent or guardian agrees to participate.
3. The victim or victim representative agrees to participate in the conference.

First Steps

• A summons has been issued and forwarded, or a police officer or school official refers the case to the program coordinator or case manager. It is not necessary that a summons be written. The incident is screened for appropriateness and a facilitator is selected.

Fort Collins Municipal Court

• Fort Collins Municipal Court may refer cases to The Restorative Justice Program. These cases are handled as a diversion from the court. When the young offender has completed the program, the results are reported back to the court.

District Attorney

• The District Attorney's office may refer cases to The Restorative Justice Program. These cases are handled as a diversion from the court. When the young offender has completed the program, the results are reported back to the court.

School Officials

• School officials may refer incidents to the Restorative Justice Program, with or without a summons being written. The school official should call the program coordinator or case manager to assess the appropriateness of the incident.

Private Citizen

• A private citizen may ask for restorative justice to be used, however the request must be made through the source responsible for referring the matter (i.e. police officer, school official, district attorney, etc.)

In all cases, if a young offender fails to complete the RJ Program and its requirements, the case is sent back to the referring party.