FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cindy Deppe, media relations, 641-269-4834

February 21, 2008

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE EXPERT TO SPEAK AT GRINNELL COLLEGE

GRINNELL, IA.--Grinnell College’s Peace Studies Program will sponsor a talk on "Doing Justice on the Healing Edge" by restorative justice activist Howard Zehr on Thurs., Mar. 6 at 11 a.m. in Joe Rosenfield ’25 Center, Room 101, on the Grinnell College campus. Zehr’s talk will be illustrated with photos and stories from his two books about victims and prisoners with life sentences.

Zehr, who is considered the "grandfather of restorative justice," is the author of "Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice," which focuses on victim needs, restoring harmed relationships, and offender accountability.

A professor at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia, Zehr served for 19 years as director of the Office on Crime and Justice for the Mennonite Central Committee. A professional photographer and photojournalist, Zehr uses photography in his lectures related to restorative justice and victim offender conferencing, which he helped to pioneer.

A Ph.D. graduate of Rutgers University, Zehr has received numerous awards for his peace and justice work, including the International Peace Award in 2006; the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Journal of Law and Religion; the Annual Peacebuilder Award from the New York Dispute Resolution Association; and the Restorative Justice Prize from the Prison Fellowship International.

Zehr’s talk, which is open to the public, is sponsored by the Grinnell Peace Studies Program, http://www.grinnell.edu/academic/peacestudies/. The Rosenfield Center is located at 1115 8th Ave. on the Grinnell College campus.

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