Mission
Mission
The Burlington CJC uses restorative practices and community values to foster healing, accountability, and repair for people impacted by, and responsible for, harm, conflict and crime in our community.​
Vision
We work towards a community where the roots and impacts of harm, conflict, and crime are addressed in ways that foster healing, accountability, self-empowerment, and connection for all.
Values
We promote processes that encourage personal and collective responsibility. We aim to improve quality of life and greater connection for Burlington and surrounding communities.
Community
We acknowledge how identity and lived experience shape us as individuals and inform our relationships and the choices we make. We aspire to listen actively and understand others.
Empathy
We strive to foster just outcomes and promote fairness and access for all by recognizing the unique experience of each individual and by addressing systemic disparities.
Equity
We honor the rights of victims and survivors and meet participants where they are. We respect the lived experiences and dignity of each individual.
Dignity
Accountability
We support people in taking responsibility for the harm they have caused and understanding its impact on other people and the community. As an organization, we strive to be accountable to each other, our participants, and our community.
Innovation
We embrace a culture of curiosity and creativity, and we develop new solutions to meet the future needs of our community.
Empowerment
We respect the agency of everyone we work with. We support responsible parties, victims, and survivors with what they need to make their own choices in the restorative process.
Public Service
The Burlington CJC is committed to serving the people of Chittenden County and responds to needs in our community.
Racial Justice Statements
2023 Equity Assessment
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As we begin to emerge from the tumultuous years following the murder of George Floyd and the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we continue to grapple with how best to address a range of complex issues including ongoing racial injustice, growing post-Covid inequities, and public safety. Against this backdrop, the work of Vermont’s Community Justice Centers to provide restorative responses to conflict and crime as an alternative to traditional criminal prosecution, punishment, and retribution, has never been more important.
The Creative Discourse Group (TCDG) supported the Burlington Community Justice Center (BCJC) on our journey toward becoming an anti-racist organization by conducting an equity assessment which included a survey, interviews, listening sessions, and a document review. These activities focused on both the external impact of the organization among partners, program participants, and the broader community, and the internal organizational culture. There was a special focus on how BCJC’s work impacts staff and clients who are BIPOC as well as others who have been historically marginalized or excluded. Check it out below: