Vermont Statewide Equity thru Data, Justice, Inclusion & Education (EDJIE) Initiative
The VT EDJIE Initiative has awarded 3 contracts to implement the projects outlined in the RFPs below. The entities contracted for this work will guide the 23 agencies implementing restorative programs in coordination with the four primary funders (VT Department of Corrections-DOC, the VT Attorney General’s Office-AGO-DCF, the VT Department for Children and Families, and the Vermont Center for Crime Victim Services-VCCVS) to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion of historically underrepresented populations in their staff, volunteers and leadership, and decrease inequities and harm to marginalized populations involved in restorative programs in accordance with the Scopes of Work specified.
The initiative is funded by Grant No. 15PBJA-22-GG-01205-BRND awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office.
RFP: Equity Audit of Restorative Programs Project
RFP: Education and Training Project
RFP: Data and Evaluation Project
Initiative Mission:
There are numerous examples of areas where Vermont’s criminal justice and law enforcement systems are systematically failing people in the most marginalized identity groups. Training, education, and consistent, effective data collection tools and practices are necessary to understand and take action to address the ways Vermont’s restorative justice system perpetuates the prevalent inequities in the criminal legal systems. This 2-year grant allows the 23 state-funded restorative justice (RJ) organizations to pursue the following project outcomes:
- Develop, deliver, and institutionalize professional development trainings to address personal and institutional racism, implicit bias, trauma, gender equity, and general inclusivity;
- Conduct a statewide data collection evaluation to improve racial justice and inclusion outcomes, including a needs assessment, the creation of standard metrics and collection tools, and the proposal for a new, shared data-management system;
- Support agencies and state partners to review and update policies and procedures with the guidance of anti-racism experts.
A six-member leadership team, comprised of directors from six of the 23 agencies, is coordinating this initiative. The OCRJC serves as the fiscal agent for the project and will be the organization on record for contracting with up to three entities to manage this work.
More Information—
Vermont’s Restorative Justice Programs’ Position on Racial Injustice
State Funded Community Restorative Justice Programs in Vermont
Vermont Crime Research Group– https://www.crgvt.org/VT Community Justice Network– https://www.vcjn.org/
VT Association of Court Diversion & Pretrial Services– https://vtcourtdiversion.org/
VT Attorney General’s Office Division of Community Justice– https://ago.vermont.gov/divisions/community-justiceVT
VT Department of Corrections Restorative Justice Programs– https://doc.vermont.gov/content/restorative-justice
VT Department of Children and Families Balanced and Restorative Justice Programs for Youth– https://dcf.vermont.gov/fsd/youth/BARJ
VT Center for Crime Victim Services Grant for Restorative Justice Programs– https://www.ccvs.vermont.gov/support-for-professionals/grants-program