Howard Zehr, co-director of the Conflict Transformation Program at Eastern Mennonite University, will be recognized for his groundbreaking work in the field of restorative justice.
Dr. Zehr, who is professor of restorative justice in the CTP program, will receive the annual 2003 “Peacebuilder Award” from the New York State Alternative Dispute Resolution Association (NYSDRA) at a luncheon at the New York governor’s mansion on May 13 in Albany, N.Y.
“As the pioneer and one of the founders of the contemporary restorative justice movement, your work has provided the impetus and inspiration for many practitioners in the field of dispute resolution in New York State,” the group said in notifying Zehr of the award. “Your national and international influence, your writing and teaching are all deserving of honor and recognition.”
NYSDRA is a private, non-profit professional membership organization committed to the use and promotion of peaceful dispute resolution. Established in 1985, members are from Community Dispute Resolution Centers located in all 62 counties in New York State and include hundreds of individual dispute resolution practitioners, organizations and others involved in the field.
Last year, NYSDRA’s peacebuilder award went to the late John Wallach, founder and president of “Seeds of Peace,” a program that gives children from war-torn regions the opportunity to gain understanding, learn tolerance and through emotional healing, help to ensure a more peaceful world.
The EMU professor is an authority on criminal justice and a professional photographer. He directed the first victim-offender reconciliation program in the U.S. and also helped to develop the theory of restorative justice based, in part, on a biblical understanding of justice. Because of his work and experience with this movement, which is now international in scope, he is considered an authority in the field.
Zehr joined the CTP faculty in 1996. Previously, he served 17 years with Mennonite Central Committee, working in areas of crime and justice in the United States and internationally. He has combined his writing and photography expertise in several books on criminal justice and victim-offender issues, including “Transcending: Reflections of Crime Victims” (Good Books, 2001).
Many of the 39 victims that Zehr featured in the book were twice wounded – once at the hands of an assailant and the second time by the courts, where there is little legal provision for a victim’s participation.
“What victims need more than anything else,” Zehr noted, “is to tell their stories as a way of rebuilding their lives.”
His other books include “Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice,” and a collection of portraits and interviews with men andwomen sentenced to life imprisonment titled “Doing Life: Reflections on Men and Women Serving Life Sentences.” His latest book is “The Little Book of Restorative Justice” (Good Books, 2002).
Zehr received a “Culture for Service” award from Goshen (Ind.) College in 1999. He attended Goshen College from 1962-63 before transferring to Morehouse College, Atlanta, Ga., and later earned his doctorate from Rutgers University.