The Office of Restorative Practices (ORP) was created in 2024 and is led by Kendall Hughes. The office was created to promote the use of restorative practices across multiple disciplines, including:

• Pretrial diversion programs
• Delinquency, criminal justice, child welfare, and education systems
• Community violence prevention practices 

The launching of the Office of Restorative Practices means that every county or jurisdiction in Minnesota is to establish Restorative Practices Advisory Committees made of up community members and justice system staff.

These committees will develop, expand, and maintain restorative practices criteria and processes for their communities.  They will also determine which restorative initiatives from their community are endorsed to submit proposals for grants. 

A request for proposals will be distributed on Oct^. 1. for grants of up to $500,000. A total of $8 million is available for new or current restorative initiatives across Minnesota. The Restorative Practices Initiatives Grant Program is intended to support programs that are grounded in the following core values of restorative practices:

Restorative practices are rooted in community values and aim to produce meaningful outcomes, which may include:

• Repair of harm: Addressing and making amends for the impact of the harm.
• Restoration: Addressing the needs of the people who were harmed.
• Community healing: Strengthening community bonds and accountability for addressing underlying issues that contribute to conflict.
• Personal accountability and growth: As much as possible the person who caused harm takes responsibility, develops empathy, apologizes, makes reparations, implements steps to not reoffend and does not reoffend.
• Preventing harm: Reducing the likelihood of harm by addressing root causes and fostering healthy relationships. 

Restorative practices can encompass various methods that include but are not limited to:

• Restorative conferences: Meetings where people who caused harm and those who were harmed discuss the impact of the harm and agree on steps to address it.
• Family group conferences: Gatherings that include family members of people who caused harmed and people who were harmed to develop a plan for addressing the consequences of the harm.
• Circles: Structured open dialogue among all stakeholders to resolve conflicts and promote healing.
• Community conferences: Broadly inclusive meetings involving community members to  address issues of harm and develop collective solutions.
• Victim impact panels: People who have caused harm participate in awareness and empathy building processes.  Then a panel of people who have experienced harms similar to those caused by the participants, tell the ripple effect of the harm they experienced.  Opportunity for interactions are facilitated after the panel's presentations. 

Restorative practices can be implemented at different stages:

• To prevent court involvement: As a proactive measure to build belonging, connection and engagement and address conflicts that reduces the need for legal action.
• In lieu of court involvement: To resolve issues and repair harm in school, home or community settings without legal proceedings.
• During or after court involvement: To support rehabilitation and repair alongside or as part of court processes. 

To receive notice when the request for proposals are available, register at Office of Justice Programs Updates.

For more detailed information see the Office of Restorative Practices Statute

Director Kendall Hughes has experience starting and leading restorative programs in both the Federal Bureau of Prisons and in a Minnesota nonprofit.

Before being appointed as ORP director, Hughes began in the 80s and 90s as a nonprofit staff person learning from lead​ers in lower income communities as they built affordable housing, places of worship and schools. Then he spent two decades as a chaplain in federal prisons where, together with incarcerated men, they developed an 18-month residential program that offered skill building, encouraging relationships and transformative dialogues to survivors of violent crimes and men who had caused deep harm.

In 2019, Hughes co-founded Three Rivers Restorative Justice (TRRJ) in southeastern Minnesota, focusing on both pre-charge restorative conferences and training facilitators. Evaluations of TRRJ show 95 percent satisfaction rates from clients who had been harmed by crime as well as reductions in reoffending by clients who had caused harm. 

Hughes has also served on the Third Judicial District's Committee on Equity and Justice as well as the Dodge and Olmsted County Corrections Taskforce. While earning his Doctorate of Ministry he wrote a graduate thesis on how chaplains in the Bureau of Prisons can reduce recidivism. He also has over 400 hours of training in restorative practices.