About Us
The Center for Restorative Justice (CRJ) is a non-profit, 501 (c)3 organization serving Bennington County, Vermont. For over 40 years, CRJ has been providing highly successful restorative justice programs, effective education, prevention resources, and valuable intervention services.
CRJ has adopted the Principles of Restorative Justice which guide us toward effectively supporting relationships rooted in justice and respect. We are committed to work in partnership with State and local government and the volunteers who represent our communities to provide support and accountability to all parties. We seek to hold ourselves accountable and move toward a justice system that brings dignity, safety and repair of harm for all.
Through CRJ’s community-based programs, individuals are given the opportunity to help themselves learn from their mistakes, gain new skills, make amends to their victims, give back to their community, and repair the harm they have caused. We offer a wide variety of support services and programming to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients and community.
Over 1,400 individuals are served each year through CRJ’s programs. CRJ operates with a budget of nearly $1 Million, of which approximately 90% comes from State of Vermont grants and contracts.
Over 1,400 Bennington County individuals were helped in 2025.
View full Impact Report.
CRJ is an active member of the Vermont Association of Court Diversion Programs and the Vermont Community Justice Network.
We receive funding from Vermont’s Department of Corrections, Department for Children and Families, and Attorney General’s Office. In addition, CRJ contracts with several schools throughout Bennington County and also receives funding support from towns, donations, and a variety of private grants.
Read out latest Impact Report
What We Do
Our continuum of services includes:
Community Reentry Program
Circle of Support and Accountability (CoSA)
DRIVe- Driving Responsibly in Vermont
Pretrial Services
Treatment Diversion Program (also known as Tamarack)
Mediation Services
Expungement Petition Assistance
Threads
YASI Pre-Screens
School-based Programs- RAP
Truancy Project
Court Diversion
Youth Substance Awareness Safety Program (YSASP)
Civil DLS Diversion Program
Juvenile Restorative Programs
Life Skills Development
Mentoring
The Lounge
Adult Restorative Programs
Our Staff





Chelsea Shepard
Case Manager - YSASP, Treatment Diversion and Pretrial Services
Email: CShepard@bcrj.org








Our Board of Directors
Darlene Barry, Vice President
Andrea Hogan, Secretary
John Conlon, Treasurer
Richard Bower
Mary Morrissey
Chris Perrotta
Tim Payne
Ken Carlsen



