The Impacts and Challenges of COVID-19 on a Restorative Justice Program for Domestic Violence Crimes: Understanding Circle Participants' Perceptions

Background: COVID-19 drastically transformed life across the globe, impacting the in-person implementation of social services and behavioral interventions. This includes domestic violence intervention programs (DVIP), which are traditionally used to remedy behaviors of those who cause harm and are sentenced to treatment for domestic violence (DV) crimes. Many jurisdictions across the US adjudicating DV crimes/administering DVIP traditionally apply Batterer Intervention Programs. As an alternative and expansion of DVIP, restorative justice approaches are becoming increasingly favored. Shifting DVIP to virtual platforms like Zoom produced significant changes in implementation and delivery. This study, which was underway when the pandemic started, examines the unique impacts, challenges and possibilities that COVID-19 produced in implementing a Circles of Peace pilot program, a restorative justice peacemaking circle approach to addressing DV.

Methods: Interview guides were initially produced to evaluate the implementation of a Circles of Peace pilot program in a northeastern US justice center. These guides were expanded, leading to data collection before and during COVID-19. Circle keepers (facilitators), victim advocates, and community volunteers (N=7) administered the Circles of Peace program and were participants in the process. They were sampled purposively to align with the research questions that arose due to COVID-19. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded by three researchers in Atlas.ti in pairs. Coding was continuously vetted by the larger research team to ensure rigor and trustworthiness. Data coding, comparison, and analysis occurred through thematic analysis, a commonly applied method of qualitative analysis to highlight similarities and differences.

Results: Thematic analysis produced three encompassing themes: (1) procedural barriers to implementation, (2) structural barriers to implementation, and (3) lessons learned and future implementation prospects. Study participants administering the Circles of Peace program highlight multilayered barriers and possibilities across micro and macro levels for the program’s virtual implementation. The talking piece is a core component of the Circle process but participants struggled with the concept in a virtual setting. To address this barrier, they were guided by circle keepers to use it implicitly in virtual meetings. Inconsistent internet connectivity and lack of confidentiality over Zoom also impacted implementation. Study participants noted barriers produced by criminal legal processes, which delayed offender participation, inadvertently creating implementation and engagement pressures on them. Lack of social resources afflicted families receiving the program, which created impediments to offender participation and treatment implementation. Yet, the new realities COVID-19 produced helped posit productive future implementation ideas like including relief from monetary restrictions on offenders. Moving to a virtual platform allowed higher frequency of meetings within the program, which organically fostered communal connections that are central to restorative justice approaches, alongside ameliorating feelings of isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions and Implications: Despite difficulties, COVID-19 spurred innovation in DVIP service delivery, highlighting the need for sustainable, flexible, and accessible interventions. This Circles of Peace pilot, conducted prior to and following the onset of COVID-19, inspires innovation in risk and safety management in DVIPs, fosters community in restorative justice programs, and encourages the inclusion of virtual treatment delivery into DVIP state standards.