Doing Sorry: Why Restorative Justice is Necessary for Serious Harm Hosted by Stoneleigh Foundation

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Hosted by Stoneleigh Foundation

Doing Sorry: Why Restorative Justice is Necessary for Serious Harm

This virtual chat between ‘Ghani’ Songster & Danielle Sered will explore responses to harm that go beyond “saying sorry" to "doing sorry." What is “doing sorry?” When serious harm is caused, why is “doing sorry” a more rigorous and appropriate response than extreme punishment? Join Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth (CFSY), Common Justice, and the Stoneleigh Foundation for a conversation between two luminaries in the restorative justice field who are actively building responses to harm and violence that our survivors, young people, and communities deserve. 

Speakers: 

Kempis ‘Ghani’ Songster:
Kempis Songster, also known as Ghani, joined the CFSY in March 2024 as the first Transformative Healing & Restorative Justice (THRJ) Manager. As the Director of the THRJ Department, he helps advance transformative and healing justice models across the nation. A founding member of Right to Redemption and the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI), Ghani spent 30 years in prison—starting when he was just 15 years old. Since his release in 2017, he has emerged as a visionary leader in creating restorative responses to violence, previously leading Philadelphia’s first Restorative Justice Diversion program for youth, "Healing Futures." 

Danielle Sered:
Danielle Sered is the Founder and Executive Director of Common Justice, which operates the first alternative-to-incarceration program in the U.S. focusing on violent felonies in adult court. An Ashoka and Stoneleigh Fellow, Danielle is the author of the award-winning book Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair. Her work centers on developing practical solutions to violence that advance racial equity and meet the needs of those harmed without relying on prison. Danielle has been featured in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

To learn more and register, please click here.