LONGMONT, Colo.—A “community circle,” and not a criminal court, will decide the consequences for three teens who were injured when they were sniffing fumes and the vapors exploded.
The teens agreed to the restorative justice program when they were cited for abusing toxic vapors and other violations after the Oct. 23 explosion in a car at a Longmont park.
“We’ve had very good success with the restorative justice programs, and we believe these girls learned a very important lesson,” police Cmdr. Tim Lewis said.
“There is a lot more accountability that comes through restorative justice sometimes,” he said.
One of the teens is 18 and the others are 16. Police say they were inhaling aerosol air fresheners when one lit a cigarette. The explosion left the teens with first- and second-degree burns and heavily damaged the car.
A Longmont group called Teaching Peace will assemble a community circle of people who were affected by the incident. It could include police, firefighters and witnesses.
“Once the circle is gathered, the process is to have each person talk about how they have been affected, and that includes the girls,” said Deb Witzel, executive director of Teaching Peace.
The circle will develop a program the teens must complete. Witzel said letters of apology are common in restorative justice programs, as are restitution and community service.
“I don’t have any idea what these girls will do, and I want to be really clear that restorative justice is not about punishment. It is about accountability,” Witzel said.
She said it will take about six weeks to organize the community circle.
If the teens successfully complete the program laid out for them, they can avoid criminal convictions. If they don’t, they will be referred back to the courts.
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Information from: Daily Times-Call,
