(Posted 2026 May)
You may not have heard about the Restorative Community Justice initiative yet. This collaborative effort of Neighborhood and Community Services, the Department of Family Services, and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court is exploring a community-based pathway to accountability, healing, and repair that complements the traditional legal system.
Emphasis on yet.
The initiative builds on Fairfax County's longstanding restorative justice work, including court-based diversion efforts, school- and community-based restorative practices, and recommendations from the Council to End Domestic Violence’s Accountability Workgroup. Recently, Volunteer Voices sat down with Keith Grupposo, community reconciliation coordinator, to talk about what restorative community justice is and what we can expect from this initiative when it’s up and running.
Volunteer Voices: Tell us about the Restorative Community Justice initiative. What is it and how did it come about?
Keith Grupposo: The Restorative Community Justice initiative builds on Fairfax County’s long-standing restorative justice work and was further shaped by recommendations from the Council to End Domestic Violence’s Accountability Workgroup. Those recommendations included exploring a voluntary accountability option outside the traditional criminal justice system, continuing improvements to court-related processes, and strengthening post-incarceration and reentry supports. While the initiative may prioritize youth in its early design, the broader model is intended to consider people of different ages and circumstances. When someone is incarcerated or placed outside the community, they can become disconnected from the supports, relationships, and opportunities they need when they return. They may face questions like: Do they still have a job? Will labels or stigma make it harder to reconnect? How can we better connect people to the services and relationships they need when they return to their community?
This initiative also builds on restorative justice and diversion work already underway through the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. JDRDC has advanced important justice reform efforts, but there are limits to what any court-based system can do on its own. Often, by the time someone comes to the attention of the court, they are already in the system. Restorative Community Justice asks a different question: how can we strengthen community-based responses earlier, so that in appropriate situations, people can be supported, held accountable, and connected to services before deeper system involvement occurs?
We are trying to make the messaging clear: Restorative justice does not follow one blueprint. In Fairfax County, the juvenile court already uses restorative justice as part of diversion, often through facilitated processes between the person who caused harm and the person who was harmed. Those processes are intended to support accountability, repair, and healing. Restorative Community Justice builds on that foundation, but it also looks beyond a single incident or individual case to a broader continuum of prevention, intervention, accountability, healing, and community connection.
The Restorative Community Justice initiative will still include traditional restorative justice practices, but those practices are only one part of a broader spectrum. We are looking at the full continuum: education, prevention, community conversations, early intervention, accountability, repair, and reintegration. The goal is not to wait until a serious incident occurs, but to help communities identify concerns, strengthen relationships, and respond earlier when harm or conflict begins to emerge.
Part of this work is recognizing that young people are still developing. That does not remove accountability, but it does help us ask whether court is always the most appropriate response.
VV: Their brains aren’t fully formed yet…
KG: Yes. Young people are still developing, and accountability still matters. The question is whether court is always the best or only place for that accountability to happen. Over time, Restorative Community Justice could help communities respond to incidents that affect more than the people directly involved by creating a structured way to talk about what happened, who was harmed, what accountability and support are needed, and what could help prevent similar harm in the future.
[It’s understanding] juveniles do unpredictable things.
VV: How will the program work in practice?
KG: We’re going to need community voices to tell us what they need. The important thing is that this will not look the same in every community. Needs may differ by geography, culture, faith community, lived experience, and type of harm, including intimate partner violence. Similar issues may show up in places like Hybla Valley and Herndon, but they may present differently, which means the responses may also need to be different. It is hard to predict exactly what the model will look like because it has to be shaped by the firsthand experiences of the people living in those communities.
What we can say for certain is that community-based organizations will be essential partners in this work. They often bring trusted relationships, local knowledge, and credibility with the communities they serve, which will be critical to shaping a model that communities can actually use.
VV: Let’s talk about the partnership with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, another government entity. How did this partnership come about? What’s the best thing about the partnership?
KG: Restorative practices have been discussed by CEDV and the Accountability Workgroup for some time. There are important safety considerations when applying restorative practices in situations involving intimate partner violence, including survivor safety, power dynamics, voluntariness, and trauma. That is why the DSVS perspective is essential. I do not personally bring that domestic and sexual violence expertise, so having DSVS involved helps ensure the initiative is informed by a survivor-centered lens. We also need feedback from members of the survivor community; without that, we could not design an effective, safe, and impactful model.
VV: What are some of the potential challenges?
KG: There are real concerns about what could happen if this work is not designed carefully. We do not want to promise people that we have a simple fix. When we talk about domestic violence, we have to be especially careful about whether and how restorative practices can be used safely. In some situations, restorative practices may complement court-related processes, but only with careful screening, survivor-centered safeguards, voluntariness, and a clear focus on safety, accountability, and healing.
I see at least two other challenges. One is gathering the right information — data, community input, partner capacity, and readiness. By the end of Phase 1, which we are in now, we expect to have many of the key design elements in place, including a clearer understanding of the proposed model, potential partners, and possible pilot site. The goal is to identify the pilot site by November, with Phase 2 serving as the pilot period.
The other challenge is that we cannot predetermine the model without the people who are living the experience. Any time I start thinking about my own vision or plans for this initiative, I have to check myself. This is a county-supported initiative, but it has to be community-based. My role is to help facilitate the process. Every community has a story, and there are many possible options for a pilot site. We want to identify a community where there is documented need—such as concerns related to harm, violence, safety, justice-system involvement, or intimate partner violence—and where the community wants to participate. We also need to understand whether the community has the relationships, resources, spaces, and connections needed to support the work.
VV: What else should we know about the Community Restorative Justice initiative?
KG: Nothing is set in stone. Even once we are up and running, we will likely need to make adjustments as community needs, conditions, and safety concerns evolve. The work will always require listening, learning, and adapting so the model continues to reflect the needs of the communities involved.
For more information about the Community Restorative Justice initiative, contact Keith Grupposo.
This article posting is part of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services' Volunteer Voices monthly newsletter for current and potential volunteers. If you're not already a volunteer, learn how to get involved. Find out about upcoming trainings, volunteer trainings, happenings around the DSVS office and information about articles, books, media recommendations and more.
Learn more about the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS).