Colorado stands at the forefront of integrating restorative justice (RJ) into its legal system, with more statutes than any other state. It also created an innovative partnership between a prosecutor and public defender that had unexpected successes from designing and implementing a RJ program to modeling a dyadic shift in stereotypical views of our roles. The prosecutor-public defender team is well-versed in Colorado RJ laws and the various pathways for victim-centered and accountability-focused RJ. Drawing on their direct experiences practicing RJ, navigating RJ referrals, and implementing RJ in the legal system, the cross-system partnership will discuss how it navigates adversarial barriers, ensures legal safeguards, and creates meaningful opportunities for healing and resolution. Attendees will gain practical insights into statutory applications, case studies from Colorado, and actionable strategies for building restorative options within their own jurisdictions.

Eligible for 1 Hour of General MCLE Credit in CA.

Speakers

Chris Brown-Haugen is the Senior Deputy District Attorney in charge of Restorative Justice & Diversion at the Denver DA’s Office. She received a BA from Southern Methodist University, a M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a JD from UCLA’s School of Law. Following law school, Chris worked as a legal fellow for the Equal Justice Initiative where she represented clients sentenced to death on direct appeal, interviewed people denied fair treatment in Alabama prisons, and researched the legacy of racial bias in the US and its relationship to modern day mass incarceration. She then spent four years as a public defender in Fort Collins, CO and worked as a Criminal Defense Clinical Teaching Fellow at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. Prior to law school, Chris worked with Outward Bound for six years, where she led wilderness expeditions with at-risk youth, facilitated restorative justice family conferences for youth and their families, and connected youth with community-based resources.

liz porter-merrill (she/they) grew up on Colorado’s Western Slope, graduated as a double Buff from the University of Colorado undergrad and Colorado Law, and clerked for a Colorado trial court judge and appellate court judge before becoming a public defender. After ten years advocating for her incarcerated clients in the appellate courts, liz transitioned into a position focusing on restorative justice at the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender. She supports defense attorneys, prosecutors, victim advocates, and judges navigate restorative justice law and practices. liz also serves as the public defender representative on the Colorado Restorative Justice Council, an organization that guides statewide restorative justice policy, and the state’s Adult Diversion Funding Committee.

liz aspires to create structures for and to practice compassionate accountability, healing, and transformation for all. She regularly facilitates high-impact dialogues (aka victim offender dialogues), community group conferences, as well as circle process to support people impacted by the criminal legal system. liz loves to teach about RJ and transformative justice, including how to facilitate, and is often called to guide the implementation or expansion of RJ programs. liz’s greatest inspiration for cultivating RJ is her imaginative, adventure-loving daughter, a circle keeper in her own right.