A Discussion About Restorative Justice
Please join us virtually on Thursday, April 14th at 6 PM for an important discussion on restorative justice in New Jersey. Our invited panel guests are on the front lines in the fight for restorative justice in our community.
Meet the panel:
Chris Charriez, Volunteer Coordinator- Petey Greene Program
Contact: ccharriez@peteygreene.org
A New Jersey native, Christopher Anthony Charriez is a Volunteer Coordinator with the Petey Greene Program in New Jersey and a Mellon Fellow with NJ-STEP. He has earned a bachelor’s in psychology, magna cum laude, from Rutgers University and he is a member of Psi Chi Honor Society and Tau Sigma Honor Society. Along with his work with PGP New Jersey, Christopher is also a property manager at the Metropolitan Luxury Apartments.
Een Jabriel, Regional Manager- Petey Greene Program
Contact: ejabriel@peteygreene.org
Een Jabriel is the Division Manager for PGP New Jersey. He is a formerly incarcerated native of Trenton, NJ, who earned his bachelor’s degree in criminology and Africana studies from Rutgers University in 2016. In his role as Division Manager, Een recruits, trains, and schedules volunteers from Princeton University to support currently incarcerated students who are working toward their GED and High School Equivalency Diplomas at Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Bordentown, NJ.
Christina Walling, Director of Academic Affairs for NJ-STEP at Rutgers University-Newark
https://njstep.newark.rutgers.edu
Contact: clw169@scarletmail.rutgers.edu
Christina is the Director of Academic Affairs for NJ-STEP at Rutgers University-Newark and has been part of the program since 2015. As Director of Academic Affairs, Christina collaborates with faculty across all three Rutgers campuses to facilitate inside instruction while continuing to teach in all partner prison facilities. Christina also manages faculty training and recruitment, the B.A. program’s administrative needs, and provides Justice Studies-related instruction for NJ-STEP. Before joining the NJ-STEP team, Christina worked for the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) at Rutgers University-Newark, teaching for both programs on campus, including the Nursing School Program. Before Christina joined the Newark community, she taught for the TRiO Student Support Services Program at Ocean County College, providing specialized academic instruction for first-generation, low-income, or disabled college students.
Tia Ryans, Founder, and Executive Director- NJ Forte House
Home | F.O.R.T.E. House (njfortehouse.org)
Contact: tia.ryans@njfortehouse.org
Tia Ryans is a political advocate and a direct witness to the insidious and detrimental impact of the criminal justice system. Her areas of passion and study surround the intersectionality between environmental, social, and criminal injustices that impact disenfranchised communities. She also uses her platform to elevate stories of women and girls affected by physical and sexual abuse. As the Founding Executive Director of Forcing Out Recidivism Through Education (F.O.R.T.E. House), she focuses on providing a healthy and stable living environment while promoting autonomy for formerly incarcerated students transitioning from incarceration through post-secondary education. Tia is also the Founder and Chapter Leader of All of Us or None- Northern NJ, where she organizes grassroots advocacy initiatives and community givebacks to support people directly impacted by the criminal justice system and their family members. As a first-generation college graduate, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in both Political Science and African American & African Studies from Rutgers University.
Ashanti Jones, 150 years is Enough Campaign Manager at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (NJISJ)
New Jersey Institute for Social Justice (njisj.org)
Contact: ajones@njisj.org
As a master’s level policy and planning social worker, Ashanti empowers communities to seek systems-level change to reduce the impact of inequitable social institutions on people’s everyday life. A passionate advocate for mitigating adverse childhood experiences, slowing the school to prison pipeline, and overall abolition, Ashanti’s work is rooted in African studies, social work pedagogy, and psychology. She currently works as the 150 Years is Enough Campaign Manager at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice – working in tandem with communities and decision-makers to close New Jersey’s youth prisons and establish a community-based continuum of care that priorities youth and reduces our reliance on incarceration. She is also a professor of Africana Studies at William Paterson University. Ashanti holds an MSW from Columbia University and is currently a doctoral candidate at Drexel University.
“The three core elements of restorative justice are the interconnected concepts of Encounter, Repair, and Transform. Each element is discrete and essential. Together they represent a journey toward wellbeing and wholeness that victims, offenders, and community members can experience. Encounter leads to repair, and repair leads to transformation.”- Restorative Justice Network
