PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: A Conversation with the Englewood Municipal Court Restorative Justice Program

 CCRJP: Will you tell us a little bit about the EMC-RJ Program

EMC-RJ: The EMC-RJ Program was birthed in the summer of 2021 after a year and a half of community conversations to determine what Restorative Justice Practices could look like in Englewood. The program serves as a diversion program for juvenile and adult cases that would otherwise go through the Englewood Municipal Court. As of late 2023, the EMC-RJ Program also takes cases from the Littleton City Prosecutor, supporting diversion opportunities for Littleton juvenile and adult cases. The greatest strength of the EMC-RJ Program is the volunteer community engagement, with over 60 active volunteers from Englewood and the surrounding communities.

Program Snapshot (June 2021–April 2025):

• 265 Cases referred
• 76% Cases completed through the program
• 139 Restorative Justice Conferences held
• 91% Contract completion rate
• 3.3% Recidivism
• 98% Participant satisfaction with outcomes
• 99% Felt the responsible party was held accountable

Program Development & Expansion

The RJ Advisory Team continues to encourage program expansion which has led to a signed Intergovernmental Agreement between Englewood and Littleton. Conversations are now underway with Sheridan in hopes of RJ practices being available in all three cities (Englewood, Littleton, Sheridan), following the lead from several other collaborative TriCities initiatives, including the TriCities Homelessness Initiative.

After four and a half years with one staff member, EMC-RJ received a Justice Assistance Grant to hire a part-time RJ Case Coordinator, Candace Karlin, who has been an amazing addition to the team!

The program is also considering integrating a RJ model which specifically responds to juvenile drug and paraphernalia charges, as well as integrating restorative approaches to higher

“These pivot points have come from community needs, volunteer dedication, and supportive city leadership utilizing their relationships and decision-making power to support RJ programming,” says Ames Stenson.

The Cultural Fabric of EMC-RJ

KATE: “It’s like a comfy, loose-knit sweater layered over a tight-knit shirt. The shirt is our RJ structure—training, facilitation, process. The sweater is our warmth—camaraderie, respect, shared joy.”

MEREDITH: “I’ve learned the most from my fellow volunteers. We’re all here to serve, and every conference adds perspective.”

Ven/VT: “Everyone I’ve met takes time to consider nuance and humanity. Even as a student, I feel supported. Understanding the human condition is our fabric.”

DARYL: “An organization reflects its leadership—and ours sets a tone of openness and care. That spirit defines our outcomes.”

The Cultural Fabric of EMC-RJ

CCRJP: What community partnerships are you focused on?

KATE: “I’m collaborating with Candace, our Case Coordinator, and another RJ volunteer to brainstorm new ideas for our end-of-year volunteer appreciation—though we’re not calling it that anymore! We want it to feel more like a celebration of community in a fun, welcoming space—maybe even somewhere that could use a little community support.”

MEREDITH: “I haven’t had the opportunity to focus on anything official, but my personal experience has been so incredibly enlightening, It’s inspired me to make more people in my community and neighborhood aware of this program—especially those who want to ‘do something’ meaningful in their community. As a Creative Director, promotion is in my wheelhouse, so I love finding new ways to share what restorative justice makes possible 🙂.”

AS: “EMC-RJ is in regular communication and works to collaborate with the Englewood School District, particularly the Middle and High School as well as the alternative High School; Englewood School Resource Officers and Police Department; Englewood City Prosecutor and City Leadership. Furthermore, we work regularly with the Littleton Municipal Court, City Prosecutor & Littleton Police Department. In addition, we often look to learn with/from and collaborate with the Englewood and Littleton community; CCRJP colleagues; agencies in Arapahoe County’s Collaborative Management Program; Arapahoe County Public Health Department;and the 18th Judicial District’s Diversion Counseling Program (which includes RJ).”

DARYL: “As a member of the advisory group, we are always looking for opportunities to work with or work better with groups internal and external to Englewood. We are focused on various city departments, schools, adjacent cities and have established contacts with several counties.”

CCRJP: Can you share anything about process innovations or program development at EMC-RJ?

EMC-RJ:
One recent innovation involving supporting our amazing volunteer RJ practitioner community is inviting folks to connect for a meal and then review a recorded RJ2+ CCRJP event/training together. This allows us to dive deeper into conversation with each other, learn together and expand our awareness of intersectionalities especially as they connect with RJ.

We utilized a similar model to prepare for the 9/18 Statewide convening, offering four times to be in conversation about the new RJ Practitioner Guidelines and videos covering Guidelines 1-4 over a meal or coffee. Seven folks from our community attended the convening (in-person and virtually) and then reconnected to debrief and prioritize our community learning opportunities for 2026.

A wooden token of RJ Love given as a gift to those touched by the EMC-RJ program

Living the Values: The 5 R’s in Practice

KATE: “The 5 R’s are the foundation of every conference. They’ve taught me to channel empathy in grounded ways.”

MEREDITH: “They equalize and protect everyone in the process—and I use them outside RJ too.”

Ven/VT: “As RJ values overlap with Indigenous knowledge, we’re not making anything from scratch but doing it in a more officially recognized capacity. These values help me act with patience and empathy every day.”

Living the Values: The 5 R’s in Practice

EMC-RJ:
We are in initial conversations with our RJ colleague, Lisa Skoglund of the 18th JD’s RJ Program, to discuss how we might offer/host an Arapahoe County RJ/RP Summit, inviting all of us who are doing RJ/RP work (community-based and systems) in the county to come together to connect, learn about each other, and support our collective RJ/RP work.

We’ve also been opening up our Community Member and Facilitator trainings to others in the state who are interested in training, many of whom are connected with another CCRJP agency or group. There is no doubt that the conversations have been enriched with the diversity of voices and perspectives, and the hope is that we as practitioners can support one another with training needs, opportunities, etc. rather than have to shoulder the heavy burden of training alone especially for those of us with smaller programs.

EMC-RJ staff presents Restorative Practices training for City of Englewood Supervisors and Interns twice a year to support the understanding and practice of RJ/RP skills within various city roles.

In previous years, we’ve worked in collaboration with the Englewood Police Department and Englewood School District to offer Police -Youth Dialogues between students in the Middle School, High School and alternative High School specifically during Conflict Resolution Month (October).

Finally, EMC-RJ staff trains students at Arapahoe Community College’s Law Enforcement Academy on RJ values and practices. This work and additional kismet opportunities have led to initial conversations with several other RJ practitioners and Law Enforcement personnel who are RJ supporters to work with the State’s P.O.S.T. Team to overhaul the P.O.S.T. curriculum. More details forthcoming! And, if you’re interested in joining us, please email Ames: astenson@englewoodco.gov

Recent Story Highlights of Impact

•  In a recent RJ conference, a School Resource Officer supported a juvenile Responsible Party in learning and practicing weightlifting during school off-periods—an idea that excited both participants!
• Another conference helped a Responsible Party recognize that their harassment charge stemmed from unresolved grief, with an Accountability Contract supporting both ownership and healing.
• Additionally, several former Responsible Parties have gone on to complete the Community Member volunteer training, continuing their engagement with restorative
  justice.

Looking Ahead

EMC-RJ: “We’re committed to building mutual aid opportunities with RJ practitioners and programs across the state—and beyond. Imagine a shared, accessible database for CCRJP members: a place to exchange mock scenarios, training curricula, and calendars that invite cross-participation. A space to pool volunteers (with consent), collaborate on funding, and pursue joint grants instead of competing for them. Our goal is to be creative and collaborative in supporting the growth and thriving of the broader RJ field.”

MEREDITH: “RJ isn’t ‘soft on crime.’ It’s deep, emotional, transformative—and ancient.”

Ven/VT: “RJ helps me replace helplessness with action. It reminds me what community really means.”

DARYL: “Everyone makes mistakes, but they don’t define us. RJ helps people take responsibility and move forward with dignity.”

💛 Thank you, Englewood Municipal Court Restorative Justice Team,
for your ongoing leadership, compassion, and creativity!