History of MRSC

In the early 1990's, Minnesotans from academia, corrections, law enforcement, the faith community, and community-based organizations helped launch a new system of justice and conflict resolution known as restorative justice to resolve crime and conflict using methods that give offenders direct and meaningful ways to make amends to victims. In the fall of 1995, a small group of practitioners and trainers in the fields of victim-offender mediation and family group conferencing started meeting informally in various places around the state to share information and provide mutual support during the emergence of the nascent restorative justice movement.

In the spring of 1996, state leaders from Minnesota Crime Victim/Witness Advisory Council and Minnesota Department of Corrections began participating in the meetings, seeking common ground and ways to promote the education and efforts of programs serving the public. Out of this group emerged Minnesota Restorative Services Coalition (MRSC), an informal but highly effective organization of volunteer and employed professionals with a common interest in promoting high-quality training, networking and information-sharing opportunities, and resources for the expansion of services.

Between 1996 and 2002, MRSC succeeded in making significant advancements even though it lacked an office, staff, or formal funding: members produced ethical guidelines for restorative justice practices; hosted several state-wide conferences, including a funding summit sponsored by William Mitchell College of Law that brought together elected officials, private foundations, and restorative justice leaders; and mounted a successful grass-roots campaign at the Minnesota Legislature to secure over $800,000 in state funding for programs working with victims, offenders, and communities throughout the state.

To further develop their organizational capacity, leaders incorporated MRSC as a membership-based 501(c)(3) organization on August 1, 2002. It is now overseen by a diverse board of directors comprised of program leaders from urban, suburban, and rural Minnesota. The board represents a cross-section of restorative services used in Minnesota, and since 2001 has included representatives from culturally-specific programs, such as those serving African-American, Native American and Hmong populations.