Up until now, judicial hearings at Guilford have typically been the same: a one-on-one discussion with a hearing officer from campus life. After receiving the e-mail subpoena, students have gone to Founders Hall to await their fine and/or community service hours.As of last semester, the Community Accountability Project (C.A.P.), however, is a new option for students who find themselves facing a violation and possible sanctioning.

C.A.P. is a model of restorative justice that engages students as collaborative participants in their own judicial hearing.

Restorative justice is a form of conflict resolution that incorporates members of the community. C.A.P. allows faculty, staff, students, parents and even alumni to voice their opinion in an open, accepting setting.

“If people take their membership in the community seriously, this is a perfect way to demonstrate it,” said Sandy Bowles, director of student judicial affairs and facilitator of all C.A.P. hearings.

According to Bowles, the main reasoning behind restorative justice is that by incorporating various voices from the community, the student will realize the broader consequences of their actions.

The hearing process is essentially the same: a campus life officer must first find the student responsible of committing a violation. The change occurs when it comes to punishment. If a student is found responsible, the new method is to send them to C.A.P. for sanctioning, where a community panel of two or three will listen to the incident report, discuss those affected, and determine a fitting sanction.

Last semester, C.A.P. was only an option for level-one violations, such as failure to comply or underage alcohol. But according to Bowles, it now includes level-two non-suspendable violations as well.

“I wanted more transparency and student involvement in the judicial process,” stated Bowles, “a reflective process where we ask students to think about how their actions affect the greater community.”

After attending a conference and learning about a restorative justice practice in place at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Bowles, who has a master’s degree in conflict resolution, decided to shift the emphasis of the judicial process away from a “cookie-cutter, legalistic” standard to one that is “inherently reflective” and flexible.

“There’s an assumption in higher education institutions that standards equal fairness,” said Bowles, “but every student is different and learns differently.”

Sam Jenkins, a senior who’s been found responsible for an estimated 15 violations over his four-year career at Guilford, said he thought the CAP process would be “beneficial” to students getting in trouble for the first time and “more relevant” when it comes to punishment.

“I never had to do the majority of my community service hours anyway,” states Jenkins, “someone would just write them off as complete.”

No longer is sanctioning a stiff fine and automatic community service hours.

“It’s about what the student needs, what they voice,” said Bowles.

In determining a sanction, panel community members are encouraged to incorporate three different factors: the impact a student had on the community, the all-encompassing picture of the student at Guilford, and providing the student an opportunity to branch out.

For example, if a student expressed concerns about addiction, a possible sanction might be attending the personal growth group in The Hut with Ernest McCoy, a part-time counselor at the college. If a student voiced problems with time management, a possible sanction might be a visit to The Learning Commons. If a violation involved an RA, a possible sanction could be a simple conversation and apology.

“I think this would’ve been a great tool during my underclass years as there is less emphasis on fines and punishment,” said senior Jonathan Doyle, who has served on C.A.P. as a community representative.

Doyle, who is interested in mediation, thinks C.A.P. “is a great way to turn sanctions into community building work.”

By accepting responsibility and being frank about mistakes, people who might otherwise feel tense are able to reconnect. “It makes the judicial process a little less anxiety-ridden,” said Doyle.

“It’s not about putting things back exactly the way they were because that’s impossible,” said Bowles. “It’s about restoring relationships with those affected.