For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Communities For Restorative Justice Executive Director Sworn in as Member of State Panel

ARLINGTON — Chief Frederick Ryan is pleased to announce that he attended the swearing-in ceremony for Erin Freeborn, who will represent the Arlington Police Department’s restorative justice partner organization on the newly-formed state restorative justice advisory committee.

Freeborn, the executive director of Communities For Restorative Justice, was sworn into the committee at a ceremony in Governor Charlie Baker’s officer at the State House late last week, has played an integral role in advocating for the restorative justice approach and its expansion statewide.

“I am honored by my appointment. This law lends credibility to work that many communities have seen succeed for decades, even centuries,” Freeborn said. “I hope it will encourage, as we’ve seen in Middlesex, our partners in the Court to look for community based restorative justice programs; and for those doing restorative work across the Commonwealth to begin conversations with their local criminal justice partners.”

The committee is a key element of newly-implemented piece of legislation that promotes restorative justice programs either in lieu of or in partnership with the court system. It will be tasked with making legislative, policy and regulatory recommendations to support community-based restorative justice programs.

Chief Ryan will also join the committee, representing his peers in law enforcement.

At its core, restorative justice aims to provide victims and offenders with a forum to confront the harm caused by crime and support offenders as they work to understand how they’ve hurt their victims and make reparations for their crimes.

“Criminal justice is not something that is simply black and white, and restorative justice allows communities to address crime directly while forging a path forward for all who are impacted by it,” Chief Ryan said. “I’m excited to work with my partners on the advisory committee and continue to make progress on reforming how we respond to crime in Massachusetts.”

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