Our Mission...

​The current mission of the Insight Development Group is to provide a transformative learning environment where adults in custody seeking restorative responses to crime, can safely explore the underlying causes of harm doing, and understand more deeply the impact their harms have had upon their victims, families, and the community. I.D.G. also serves as a restorative justice capacity building program which meaningfully prepares participants who may potentially enter into direct encounters or dialogue processes with harmed parties. The I.D.G. fulfills this mission by offering a critical and integrated curriculum exploring and developing personal awareness and core competencies in the areas of:  
 
  • Restorative Justice Values, Principles and Processes
  • Deconstructing Personal Values, Mindsets and Attitudes
  • Culture, Identity, and Violence
  • Victim Impacts & Crime Impacts (The Ripple Effect)
  • Empathetic Communication
  • Transcending Toxic Shame, Redeemability and Self-Worth
  • Positive Community Reintegration, Remorse, Reparation & Repair


"It is our goal to understand the depth of our actions - those that brought us here and those that led up to our crimes - and how they have affected victims and those around us. In doing so, we will be more able to perceive situations with empathy and make decisions that take into account our communities and families. This program is intended purely for personal growth, knowledge and rebuilding our ability to connect to the community. It will not result in a certificate of completion or letters of recommendation."

- Original Mission Statement of the Founding Four Inmates of the IDG, 2008

Our Values . . . 

We Value Racial & Social Justice. We can not meaningfully discuss restorative justice without acknowledging and addressing the historical and systemic contexts of oppression and racism of the criminal justice system in the United States. 

Acknowledging the past:
  • Mass incarceration began as an endeavor to capture the labor and bodies of newly freed slaves                             
  • After the Emancipation, both Southern and Northern legislatures enacted Slave Codes, that criminalized blackness
  • This criminalization of race pushed blacks into neo-slavery with the use of convict leasing
  • Blacks who were unable to pay fines associated with violations of slave codes, were imprisoned and then leased out to labor and agricultural industries producing large revenues for public and private businesses
  • Prison Chain Gangs were used to terrorize black slaves, but also to build up the infrastructure of the South post slavery
Acknowledging the present:
  • People of color make up 60% of U.S. prisoners, but are only 20% of the nation’s population
  • Black people are six times more likely to be incarcerated than whites
  • People of color  (POC) and whites sell and use drugs at similar rates, but POCs are three times more likely to be arrested, and serve much longer sentences
  • One in four black men have been incarcerated
  • Black women make up 30% of U.S. prisoners, but are only 13% of the nation’s population
  • Racism is the number one predictor of punitive justice attitudes among Americans
  • Restorative justice referrals are less likely to be offered to people of color than whites 
  • People of color viewed as abstract offenders are less likely to be seen as 'redeemable' by whites 

We Value Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
​IDG acknowledges and supports the collective and individual obligations that have arisen due to this harmful history. IDG also acknowledges that the legacy of white supremacy and systemic racism continues both overtly and less overtly in our culture and systems today. We recognize that the goals of DEIB do not arise from a one-off training or simply reading articles or books. True equity and inclusion require a shift in attitudes, mindsets and values, and is an ongoing process of change. IDG remains committed to the efforts of racial and social justice allyship through critical self-reflection, and actions of self-improvement.  

Social and Collective Obligations: 

Although the past can never be undone, as allies in racial and social justice we must seek to engage in, and advocate for: 
  • Public apologies
  • Genuine Truth & Reconciliation Processes 
  • Reparations & Restitution
  • Corrections to “official” historical records
  • Memorials to the fallen, including statues, memorial plaques, headstones, museums, and street renaming
  • Public art, poetry, music, film, and theater that unearth truths about racial violence and history
  • Programs to demilitarize police and reinvest in community-based solutions
  • Abolition and reforms where needed and appropriate

IDG's Organizational Obligations:

The Insight Development Group has an obligation to deconstruct it's own barriers to racial justice and equity and we remain committed to this mission by:
  • ​Examining our own power and privileges which may directly or indirectly create barriers to racial inclusion and social equity 
  • Deconstructing our own versions of history and narratives within our fields of praxis and expertise 
  • Critically examining disconnects between intent and impacts, making meaningful changes where necessary
  • Identifying and removing structural and social barriers to inclusion and equity
  • Speaking out and interrupting macro and micro aggressions
  • Respecting boundaries and spaces of others 
  • Interrupting toxic white shame and fragility
  • Acknowledging mistakes and making things right
  • Use deep listening
  • Recognizing and engaging with the wisdom of intersectionality 
  • ​Engaging in culturally responsive practice

More Values... 

  • We Value Trauma Informed Practice. In IDG we seek to maintain an awareness of the prevalence of trauma; An understanding of the impact of trauma on physical, emotional, and mental health as well as on behaviors and engagement to services; and a continued understanding that current service systems can and often do,  re-traumatize individuals.  We implement trauma informed practice by: 
  • Realizing the widespread impact of trauma and understand potential paths for recovery;
  • Recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system;
  • Responding fully by integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and seek to actively resist re-traumatization”​​​​

  • We value gender responsive practice. Gender-responsiveness refers to the process of  understanding and taking account of the differences in characteristics and life experiences that women and men bring to the criminal justice system, and adjusting strategies and practices in ways that appropriately respond to those conditions. Gender response practice in the IDG includes the following principles:
  • Relational Engagement:  Work with women in a relationship-based way to promote mutual respect and empathy.  According to Bloom et al. (2003), "relational models…posit that the primary motivation for women throughout life is the establishment of a strong sense of connection with others."
  • Strengths-Based:  Recognize that all women have strengths that can be mobilized.
  • Trauma-Informed:  Recognize that the history and context of personal abuse plays an important role in how women respond to services.
  • Holistic:  Provide a comprehensive learning model that addresses the complex and multiple needs incarcerated women and female presenting peoples.
  • Culturally Competent: Provide services that value and acknowledge the diverse cultural backgrounds of women.

  • We value whole systems thinking.  Existing in a complex web of relationships, we must break out of the habit of binary thinking. Higher levels of awareness, understanding and empathy, as well as creative problem solving techniques emerge when we are able to visualize the 'bigger picture'. ​

  • We value consensus based decision making. We are aware of the dangers that can arise with an oppressive or unjust majority, and so we believe the philosophy of restorative justice calls us to engage in democratic processes which truly engage the needs and voice of all. Consensus based processes take time, and demand a high level of commitment and patience with the process. 

  • We value both the means and the end. In so doing we recognize that our practice must reconcile with our overarching values as a program. We believe we must promote and utilize pedagogical practices such as those found within transformational learning theory, democratic education, and liberation psychology, which uphold these values, and not to be afraid to challenge paradigms of teaching, or interventions which do not uphold these values. 

  • We value ethical practice. As outsiders working with a highly vulnerable population we hold ourselves to a high standard of ethical practice. We understand that at times institutional culture and practices may be unjust and uneththical. In such times IDG calls forth a higher moral ground and will operate with higher ethical integrity. We also require ourselves to role model the very processes we hold in such high regard, as best to our ability. ​

  • We value critical consciousness. We are aware that society is not inherently just, and there are those who fall victim to inequality, oppression, racism, privilege, and other forms of discriminations which have made healthy and nonviolent living difficult, and challenging. Although we not always fully understand the experience of those most affected by various forms of oppression, we are committed to serving as allies in the fight for social justice. We remain committed to educating ourselves on critical issues, and understanding more deeply our role in oppression, so we may serve as advocates for change. 
​
  • We value the establishment of healthy boundaries. We believe that we must help participants and those affected by crime in developing boundaries that reflect where they are and where they would like to go. We believe the establishment of healthy boundaries also supports accountability and self-determination. 

  • We value critical self-reflection. We believe that we offer our participants a chance to engage in meaningful self-reflection. It is our hope that this self-reflection will aid participants in developing the skills and perspectives necessary to engage in restorative processes. We also believe that we, as volunteers, must be constantly engaging in self-reflection in order to be healthy and effective in this process. 

  • We value evolution based on needs. We believe that restorative justice is a process that is never fully finished and that is determined by the needs of those involved. As a result, we aim to grow and we believe we must be open to change and evolution. We value questioning at all costs and seek to meet the needs of those affected by crime. 
 
  • We value the process. We believe that restorative justice is a way of thinking, being, and doing, not an outcome. As such, we recognize that it may elicit more questions than answers. Given this, we value the process of engaging with these questions and value ambiguity over righteousness.
 
  • We value dialogue as a process that can lead to greater levels of restoration, transformation, and healing. While dialogue often takes longer than traditional methods, we believe it allows for deeper understanding and buy-in to the process by all involved. We value using dialogue as the primary source of knowledge gain whenever possible but acknowledge and allow for other educational tools when appropriate. 
 
  • We value the knowledge, experiences and needs of those affected by crime. We seek to offer our participants a forum to engage in self-reflection and restorative processes that make sense for them. We feel in order for this to happen, it is imperative that offenders play a critical role in planning and building the program they receive. Without their knowledge of atmosphere, their experience, and their own needs we cannot be effective in offering them restorative opportunities.  
 
  • We value collaboration and diversity of perspective. We seek to engage and utilize as many critical voices, perspectives and resources as possible in this work. This ensures that we offer our group participants several different vehicles to self-discovery and engagement in restoration. We also aim to use collaboration as often as possible. 
 
  • We value accountability and self-determination. We seek to promote these values both amongst participants and amongst each other. By promoting accountability and self-determination to the participants, we believe we are preparing them to engage in the restorative processes that are available to them now as well as those that may be available to them in the future.​