In 2017, PKPR client Deanna Van Buren delivered a TED Talk – What a World Without Prisons Could Look Like— that has been viewed more than one million times. This month, her vision moves closer to reality with the opening of Restore Oakland, a 20,000 square foot center in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood that is home to one of the nation’s first spaces dedicated to restorative justice.
Restorative justice brings together the victim and the perpetrator to resolve the harm caused. Restore Oakland will work with the Alameda County District Attorney’s office to divert cases involving people aged 15 to 24 into the restorative justice program. The process takes place outside of traditional courthouses and government buildings, which tend to be windowless, oppressive, and punitive. At Restore Oakland, the Restorative Justice Rooms are painted in a peaceful and calming sky blue, there are multiple large windows, and chairs are arranged in a circle in the tradition of peace circles used by many Native American cultures.
PKPR secured coverage for the opening in The Atlantic’s CityLab, Architectural Digest, YES! Magazine, and Common Dreams.
