Community justice is the capacity of people, organizations, and communities to work through conflict and harm together with dignity, responsibility, voice, and meaningful choices about what happens next.
CJC builds that capacity through practical learning, mediation, restorative processes, community relationships, and supported pathways.
Impact shows up in people reached, relationships built, and community capacity growing over time.
Parlier · reported August 2026
CJC’s weekly Youth Empowerment work in Parlier combines mentoring, leadership development, relationship-building, and restorative practice — capacity built in community over time.
Read the story (opens in a new tab)Mid Valley Times · August 13, 2026
140
Young people referred to CJC/VORP — 106 from Juvenile Court and 34 from Juvenile Probation. Source 07
20
Partner organizations engaged through the Community Justice Network in its first project year. Source 07
1,500
Residents engaged through the Community Justice Network in its first project year. Source 07
Each figure keeps its own source, period, population, and limits.
Where CJC’s work comes from
93.1%
Of the young people who formed a conference agreement in a historical Fresno predecessor program, 121 fully completed the agreed outcomes. Source 01
CJC’s own reporting · 2020–2021
Its first reported year recorded 22 completed VORP mediations, more than 100 people through the VORP restorative process, about 1,000 VORP hours across preparation, conferences, records and reporting, and 41 participants in Insight Awareness / DUI courses. Source 02
Historical Fresno case records show how different entry points shaped the time between an incident and case closure.
44.7
days
Pre-arrest diversion
189.2
days
Probation referral
224.8
days
Court referral
| Entry point | Incident → referral | Referral → closure | Incident → closure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-arrest diversion | 3.0 | 41.7 | 44.7 |
| Probation referral | 108.6 | 80.6 | 189.2 |
| Court referral | 159.9 | 64.9 | 224.8 |
Average days. The incident-to-referral and referral-to-closure columns are shown so delay is not attributed to the facilitator alone.
| Stage | Cases |
|---|---|
| Referred | 181 |
| Accepted | 171 |
| Reached victim–offender conferencing and formed agreements | 130 |
| Fully completed the agreed outcomes | 121 |
These counts describe Community Justice Conferencing at Fresno Pacific University’s Center for Peacemaking, before Community Justice Center formed. Source 01
A 2018 Fresno youth-diversion analysis estimated roughly $1,226 for restorative diversion against roughly $9,538 for a juvenile misdemeanor resolved before trial with a year of probation and no incarceration. These were illustrative historical scenarios, not current CJC prices or audited savings. Source 03
Research on restorative and conflict-resolution programs emphasizes strong referral relationships, careful preparation, capable staff, family access and community supports, manageable workloads, continuous improvement, and sustained infrastructure over time. RAND’s 2024 study examined a different organization in San Diego, not CJC. Source 05
A U.S. Department of Justice meta-analysis synthesized 60 studies of youth restorative justice across the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Canada. Overall, restorative-justice programs were associated with lower delinquency than traditional processing. The evidence is encouraging, not a prediction of CJC outcomes. Source 04
Numbers describe part of the record. People describe what the work felt like and what changed for them.
Survivors chose to begin a dialogue. Individual preparation clarified questions and hopes before anyone met, and CJC worked alongside The Ahimsa Collective. The choice, and the pace, stayed with the people involved.
CJC Annual Report · Pages 8–9 · Source 02
In a school-related VORP account, a teacher who had been harmed spoke about its impact, a young person accepted responsibility, and the two agreed on restitution. The teacher later advocated on the young person’s behalf.
CJC Annual Report · Source 02
“This program showed me how to communicate with people and how to understand and get along with others. I am blessed to be able to attend this program and to have someone listen to my family and me.”
“It has given me an outlet, a sense of belonging and helped me to stay focused and organized.”
CJC keeps different kinds of evidence separate: its own reporting, historical Fresno program records, and external research. Each numbered source below matches the number used beside a claim above. Open a source for its period, population, method, and limits.
The impact of peacemaking is not only in the conflicts that end differently. It is in the people who learn another way to respond, and the community that is better prepared for the next one.
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