Kim Book, Founder and Executive Director of the nonprofit Victims’ Voices Heard, speaks with Danielle Vota and Ruth Decosse, conflict resolution practitioners at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about why restorative justice matters.

Topics covered in this interview include Kim’s personal story of how she transformed the painful experience of her daughter’s murder into a program that creates opportunities to heal for both victims and offenders. She shares how the program works, what it is like for a victim and offender to meet face-to-face, and how restorative justice practices can reduce recidivism.

Kim is responsible for Delaware’s statewide Victim-Offender Dialogue Program. Since 2002, Kim has helped thousands of victims and offenders in Delaware. Her organization has also played a significant role in reducing recidivism rates amongst offenders. To learn more about Kim Book and her nonprofit, please visit www.victimsvoicesheard.org.

First State Insights is a podcast presented by IPA. This episode was produced by IPA's Conflict Resolution Program—a resource dedicated to building statewide capacity for collaborative approaches to resolving conflict. Learn more about IPA at ipa.udel.edu, and listen to all First State Insights episodes at soundcloud.com/first-state-insights/.

Opening and closing music: "I Dunno" by Grapes, used under Creative Commons 3.0 License

Why Restorative Justice Matters

Joseph Kane,  Senior Research Associate and Associate Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program, speaks with  Troy Mix, Associate Director at the University of Delaware's Institute for Public Administration (IPA), about his research on the nation's infrastructure workforce and IPA's ongoing study of workforce development needs and opportunities associated with infrastructure in Delaware. 

For more information on the Brookings Institution, visit brookings.edu. Mr. Kane's research related to infrastructure and workforce development needs can be reviewed here: https://www.brookings.edu/author/joseph-kane/?type=research.

This episode was recorded on June  4, 2020. For more information about the Institute for Public administration visit www.bidenschool.udel.edu/ipa.

Workforce Development for Infrastructure

Information, perspectives, and analysis for public policy, management, and community and economic development in Delaware.

Presented by the Institute for Public Administration (IPA), a research and public service center in the University of Delaware's Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration.

Why Restorative Justice Matters

First State Insights

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