The program coordinator who supports restorative-justice processes — victim-offender dialogues, community circles, school or court-diversion programs — at the start of a restorative-justice career. Working under senior facilitators to bridge harm and accountability.
Most days tend to involve intake of cases, victim and offender preparation meetings, scheduling of dialogue sessions, and supporting senior facilitators during restorative conferences. You'll often handle case management in the morning, conduct preparation meetings with participants in the afternoon, and coordinate with referring agencies (courts, schools, community groups).
The hardest parts tend to be the emotional weight of the work and the unevenness of program funding and institutional support. Conversations between victims and offenders carry real intensity, and outcomes depend heavily on preparation. Settings vary — court-annexed diversion programs, school-based restorative practices, juvenile-justice programs, and community organizations each operate with different funding stability and theories of change.
People who tend to thrive here are patient listeners, comfortable in emotionally charged conversations, grounded in the belief that accountability and healing can coexist, and able to work across institutional contexts. If you want clear adversarial structure or court-style certainty, restorative work can feel ambiguous. If you find meaning in creating space for harm to be repaired rather than just punished, the work can be deeply purposeful.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
The program coordinator who supports restorative-justice processes — victim-offender dialogues, community circles, school or court-diversion programs — at the start of a restorative-justice career. Working under senior facilitators to bridge harm and accountability.
Median pay for a Junior Restorative Justice Coordinator is about $156K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $47K to $217K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, and Complex Problem Solving.
Most people in this role hold a professional degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 2.5% through 2034, with roughly 25,580 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Restorative Justice Coordinator, Justice of the Peace, and Judge.
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