Restorative Justice Coordinator, Alicia Nichols, LSW, was instrumental in bringing the 5 day STAR Training to her colleagues at the MN Dept. of Corrections in May 2018. Alicia’s reasons for bringing STAR to the DOC is deeply rooted in her belief that when we equip the Restorative Justice Unit staff with:
- knowledge about how the body, brain and groups typically and naturally respond to traumatic events;
- skills to develop and model creative, life-giving alternative responses to maintain safety and security in correctional settings;
- tools to develop safe, invitational space to unpack and transform how they know/process the experiences of incarcerated men and women, and;
- understanding of the long-term positive impact of cultivating resilience and wellbeing (in self, family, organization or community).
Congratulations to all of our STAR DOC Graduates! We look forward to sharing STAR with more DOC staff and other state agencies in the future.
Written in collaboration with:
Alicia Nichols, LSW
Restorative Justice Coordinator | Victim Assistance and Restorative Justice Program