At a recent press conference, the Community Dispute Resolution Program (CDR) was officially launched in Buffalo City Court. The CDR Program acts as a restorative justice alternative to criminal proceedings to resolve issues between parties. It will utilize mediation and conflict coaching to facilitate conversations between a complainant and defendant with a neutral third party to identify issues, clarify perceptions and explore options for an acceptable resolution.
Julie Loesch, Director of our CRJ program, worked with District Attorney John Flynn, members of the Western New York Chapter of the Women’s Bar Association of New York (WBASNY), Assistant District Attorney Ashley Lowry and Rebecca Town (Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo) to bring the CDR program to life.
“When the underlying issues between parties involved in a conflict go unresolved, the situation can escalate resulting in one or both parties being charged with a crime,” said Julie. “Sometimes a conversation about what went wrong and why, an apology, or a plan to prevent future conflict crafted by the parties themselves offers the sort of just remedy that simply can’t be found within the limitations of the adversarial justice system. We are fortunate that our partners in the criminal justice system understand the importance of providing people access to this broader form of justice.”
Congratulations to Julie, the staff at CRJ and everyone involved in the CDR Program! We are sure it is destined to do great things for our community!