Quick Take
Five years ago, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office launched the Neighborhood Justice Program, which allows people to take responsibility for harm they caused outside a traditional court process. The program has facilitated more than 403 conferences and has a 1% recidivism rate. Here, Danitza Torres, a restorative justice practitioner, explains the program, offers information on who can apply and how community members can sign up as volunteer panelists. “Santa Cruz is the kind of place where people want to be involved, want to support one another, and want to see their neighbors thrive,” Torres writes. “That’s exactly what makes it an ideal home for restorative justice.”
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Five years ago, the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office launched the Neighborhood Justice Program (NJP) by asking a bold and hopeful question: What if we placed healing — not punishment — at the center of our community’s response to harm?
Since then, our team has facilitated more than 403 restorative justice conferences. In these meetings, the person who caused harm meets with trained community volunteers to talk about the incident, its impact, and how to make things right. This process helps people take responsibility, learn from their actions and repair harm in meaningful ways, all while staying out of the traditional criminal legal system. Out of those cases, 348 participants have completed the process successfully.
These aren’t just numbers; each one reflects a real moment of accountability, healing and community-based justice.
I don’t see restorative justice as a softer alternative to traditional courts. I see it as a community-rooted process that acknowledges the complexity of harm and the humanity of everyone involved. Restorative justice asks different questions, ones that prioritize healing over punishment. Instead of focusing on “What law was broken?”, we ask: Who was harmed? What do they need? And who is responsible for making things right?
This shift in language reflects a deeper shift in values. Restorative justice draws from ancient practices, when communities addressed conflict by bringing people together to speak honestly, take responsibility and listen deeply, so that everyone felt heard and healing could begin.
It’s not about excusing harm; it’s about facing it with compassion, accountability and clarity.
Mistakes are part of being human. But when we respond with connection instead of punishment, we create space for people to learn, grow and rejoin their community with intention. That also means centering the voices of those who were harmed and letting their needs guide the process.
At NJP, participation is always voluntary. At this website, you can see if your case qualifies for the program. You can also see the commitment time and training required if you want to volunteer as a restorative justice panelist.
The basic process goes like this: First, we reach out to the person harmed to see if they’re open to a restorative process. Victims can choose their level of involvement — from no participation at all to engaging in a face-to-face dialogue with the person who harmed them. If they agree, we meet with the person who caused the harm to assess their readiness to take responsibility. When both sides are willing, we bring them together, along with a panel of trained community volunteers, in a confidential, supportive space called a dialogue.
If the person harmed prefers not to participate, or if there’s no direct victim, we hold what we call a conference. In either setting, participants and panelists discuss the harm caused, explore the root causes of the incident and co-create a list of agreements focused on accountability and healing. Agreements may include apologies, community service, counseling or referrals to services. When participants complete their agreements, the case is dismissed, and no conviction appears on their record. If the process isn’t completed, the case returns to the district attorney’s office.
When it works, and it often does, everyone involved walks away having been heard, respected and part of something truly transformational.
In one recent case, a person harmed in a hit-and-run and the person who caused the harm both agreed to participate in a restorative dialogue. They spoke openly about what happened, how it affected their lives and what they needed to move forward. Their dialogue led to a sincere apology, a mutual agreement for repair and a powerful moment of healing that a courtroom likely couldn’t offer.
The impact of this work goes beyond individual stories – it shows up in the data, too. Between 2020 and December 2022, NJP maintained a recidivism rate of just 1%, as defined by the Board of State and Community Corrections, which means the person had no new criminal convictions.
That number speaks volumes. When people are given the chance to take accountability in a structured, supportive space, they’re far less likely to reoffend. That benefits not just the individual, but all of us.
When we started in 2020, we responded to only 12 types of offenses. Today, we’re able to address over 80 different types. We even have a form in English and Spanish where people can check if their case qualifies. That expansion reflects our success and a growing understanding that people can change — and that communities can heal.
Santa Cruz has embraced this new approach. We’ve trained 86 community volunteers, 51 of whom are currently active. These volunteers are the heart of our work. They bring empathy, insight and a deep commitment to justice. Their presence shows that healing is something we build together and that behind every incident is a human story.
As we mark five years of the Neighborhood Justice Program, I want to emphasize how essential this work is to the health and strength of a small community like Santa Cruz.
In a place where we’re connected by schools, neighborhoods and shared spaces, how we respond to harm matters, NJP offers more than just a different response to wrongdoing, it opens a pathway to a safer, more compassionate and more resilient community.
Santa Cruz is the kind of place where people want to be involved, want to support one another, and want to see their neighbors thrive. That’s exactly what makes it an ideal home for restorative justice.
This program reminds us that when we support each other through harm, we all benefit. It’s not just about second chances. It’s about building a community where everyone has the opportunity to grow, make amends and be seen as more than their worst mistake.
That’s the kind of justice that breaks cycles, transforms lives and builds the future we deserve.
Danitza Torres is a restorative justice practitioner and coordinator of the Neighborhood Justice Program at the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office. Originally from Chile, she holds a degree in anthropology and a certification in restorative justice and leadership from UC San Diego. Torres brings years of experience supporting marginalized communities and advancing healing-centered approaches to justice.