Welcome to CRYJ
Whether you have been referred to CRYJ by a probation officer, an SRO or school administrator, or a family or community member, you are in the right place. We offer the opportunity to take accountability and repair harm without further involvement in the justice system. This means that if you choose to engage with CRYJ, you will spend less time in ISS or OSS, you may never see charges filed, and you may not have to engage further with anything probation or court related. First and foremost, CRYJ is committed to providing a safe, supportive, shame-free space for you to engage in self reflection, take accountability, and build community.
If you haven’t scheduled a family conference yet, that’s the first step - give us a call at (406) 257-7400 or send us a text at (406) 200-8184 to make an appointment. You can also email us at program@restorativeyouthjustice.org.
Restorative Conferences
Family Conferences are the first step in our program, designed to guide youth toward accepting accountability for the impact of their actions. These conferences are an opportunity for families to learn more about CRYJ, and allow CRYJ program staff to get to know teens and the circumstances that brought them here. All youth and parents or other adult support persons are required to attend this hour-long intake appointment. During this first meeting, we will determine specific workshop requirements, build a schedule, and decide on a deadline. At a minimum, this restorative agreement will include an accountability meeting and a restorative conference (in the form of either a Victim-Offender Conference or Community Impact Circle).
Impact Meetings are one-on-one meetings between teens and CRYJ staff. They are designed to encourage youth to reflect on the incident that brought them to CRYJ and consider the impact of their actions on the community.
Victim-Offender Conferences are held, when relevant, between youth referred to CRYJ and those most deeply impacted by the incident. CRYJ frequently facilitates VOCs between students and administrators/teachers, youth referred for shoplifting and the store owners they stole from, and teens who’ve gotten into a fight. CRYJ maintains a confidential, safe environment for discussion, posing questions that invite input on all sides. VOCs are an opportunity for all parties to collaboratively determine outcomes that allow for accountability and reconciliation.
Community Impact Circles are structured conversations between 3-6 families, at least one CRYJ staff member, and at least one trained community volunteer. CICs provide a supportive environment for discussing harm, personal and family impact, resiliency, and our relationship to community. They are held on Mondays from 5:30-7pm.
Peer Workshops
CRYJ workshops are first and foremost confidential, supportive spaces for teens to collaborate, develop skills, and be in dialogue with each other. Workshops are facilitated by CRYJ program staff but center teen-led interests and discussions. Workshops are a time for CRYJ teens to explore issues of self-regulation, identity, consent, relationships, substance use, risk taking, consent, and harm reduction.
Workshops are typically held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 4-6pm, but please refer to the teen calendar for up-to-date information. Teens are required to arrive on time and stay for the full length of the workshop.
Emotional Regulation workshops center teens’ brain and body health, stress management, and self-regulation. Whether talking about anger, decision making, or conflict, these workshops are an opportunity to engage with proactive and responsive practices to help mitigate difficult emotions and situations.
Consent and Healthy Relationships workshops are an opportunity for teens to explore the components of healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics in both romantic relationships and friendships. These workshops are also a chance for teens and CRYJ staff to explore consent and communication as core elements of healthy relationships.
Drug and Alcohol workshops are an opportunity for teens to engage in an honest dialogue about the role of substances and risk taking in our lives as well as the impact of peer, family, and community substance use. These workshops are non-judgmental and harm-reduction based, focusing on reducing teens’ risk of negative health impacts and involvement in the justice system.
Mental Health workshops allow teens to process mental health challenges and consider the impact that mental health struggles have on ourselves, our peers, and our families. These workshops provide a venue for discussing healthy coping strategies and alternatives for teens utilizing substances as a form of self medication.
Community Engagement workshops are CRYJ’s front-facing workshops, offering a venue for teens to meaningfully engage with their community. These workshops might look like making meals for families struggling with food insecurity, participating in a mural project, or cleaning up graffiti alongside business owners and other community members.
FAQ
These are some of the questions we hear the most frequently. If you are having difficulty finding the answer in your Teen’s Restorative Agreement or on the CRYJ website, feel free to contact CRYJ staff by calling (406) 257-7400, texting (406) 200-8184, or emailing program@restorativeyouthjustice.org.
What does CRYJ look like for parents?
We ask that parents participate in the initial Family Conference, as well as a Community Impact Circle. The remainder of CRYJ’s program elements are for teens only — sorry, no parents allowed!
Is there a fee?
There is no fee for youth to participate in CRYJ programs.
How does CRYJ maintain communication with teens and families?
Our staff maintain weekly contact with teens to keep them updated on their progress. We can easily extend this communication to parents as needed, and will always loop parents in if staff members are having difficulty reaching a participant.
When and where to teens attend workshops?
CRYJ typically offers service Monday through Thursday, with workshops taking place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. CRYJ sends texts at the beginning of every week to each teen with a reminder of their appointments and workshops. CRYJ's youth workshops calendar is also available here.
How long do teens have to complete their program agreement?
Refer to your Restorative Agreement for the completion date. Typically the agreement must be completed within 60-90 days from the date of referral from Youth Court, or 30 days from the point of a family conference for teens referred through their School Resource Officer/school administrator.
What happens if a teen gets sick or has other scheduling conflicts?
We understand that unavoidable illness or scheduling conflicts may arise. While we like to see teens once a week, all we need is open communication from families when life happens! If a teen is unable to attend CRYJ service once every 10 days, we ask that they contact CRYJ staff to discuss options.
What will happen if a teen does not complete the requirements of the Restorative Agreements?
CRYJ staff make every effort to support the success of the teens we work with in completing their Restorative Agreements. However, attendance and engagement is ultimately their choice. If all aspects of the agreement are not completed by the completion date, the case will be referred back to Youth Court or the School Resource Officer/school administrator who made the initial referral. At that point, charges may be formally filed or increased suspension time may be reinstated.