DECATUR - Ellie Ludvigsen sees restorative justice as one path toward improving the nation's criminal justice system, though she is quick to acknowledge it is not appropriate to use in every case.

Ludvigsen is a Colorado consultant who works with Macon County's criminal justice system to create community restorative boards whose goal is to help criminals make the change from offender to citizen by bringing them back into the fabric of the community as a productive, contributing member. Two such boards are working locally.

She spoke Tuesday evening to 24 people gathered at First Presbyterian Church for a meeting called by Macon County Citizens Opposing Capital Punishment.

Group member Fred Spannaus, who is a member of the executive board overseeing the restorative board program, said South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu once said truth comes before reconciliation.

Ludvigsen said she agrees. She said restorative justice is more of a philosophy than a program and noted when a crime occurs it harms the victim, the perpetrator and the community.

"A healing needs to take place that everyone agrees upon to have harmony restored," Ludvigsen said. "That concept came from native populations centuries ago."

Tribes or clans gathered in a circle denoting equality among the members to listen to everybody involved in a breach of custom or law and decide what needed to be done to get the offender back into the group, Ludvigsen said.

Today, that concept is being used in Macon County Teen Court, a diversion program aimed at keeping young people out of prison and restoring them to the community, Ludvigsen said. The program does not replace the court system but operates in tandem with it, she said.

Ludvigsen said the program's principles are the parties must listen to one another, they must find a solution to their differences, that must be done in a balanced way and the offender has to admit he or she did something wrong.

"If offenders are accepted back into the community they are less likely to offend again," Ludvigsen said. "When people are listened to, they feel respected. And it is more meaningful for people outside the (criminal justice) system to hold them accountable."

David Kidd, Macon County Teen Court adviser, said there are programs statewide using the restorative justice model with more than 100 teen courts in operation. He said nationwide there are more than 1,000 teen courts.

Ludvigsen said while juvenile offenders are involved in the restorative justice program locally, she hopes to see adults charged with noncapital offenses involved in the program by summer's end.

Ron Ingram can be reached at ringram@;herald-review.com or 421-7973.