Restorative Justice Program moves to more suitable quarters at county complex

LACONIA — Belknap County's Restorative Justice Program has relocated from the Belknap County Courthouse to the administrative wing of the Belknap County complex and program director Brian Loanes says that he and his staff like the change.

''It's so much better here. We have office space for the case managers which provides the privacy we need when dealing with clients. It was very difficult to do that in the courthouse,'' says Loanes.

The program, which has four part-time employees, serves youthful offenders (minors) as well as adult and juvenile diversion and bail supervision offenders. It currently supervises 65 participants, about half of whom are adults. It was originally affiliated with the Belknap County Sheriff's Department and later combined with the former Youth Services Bureau in 2010. It began serving adults in 2011 in a program developed in cooperation with Judge James Carroll in the Laconia Circuit Court.

Loanes says that the goals of the program are to encourage a sense of responsibility and accountability on the part of the offender while saving the county money and resources by minimizing the offender's involvement into the justice system and reduce the amount of recidivism through appropriate education for offenders. There is also a community service requirement ranging from 50 to 500 hours for adult offenders.

''Many of the first-time offenders we deal with are really good kids who have made a mistake and run afoul of the law. We try to turn them around and put them in a situation where they don't have a criminal record and can experience some success and build their self-confidence. It's really rewarding when that happens,'' says Loanes.

He says that many of the first-time offenders have been involved with drugs and that the program utilizes the services of Genesis Behavioral Health, the regional mental health provider, along with Horizons Counseling and the Nathan Brody Center for drug and alcohol programs and is involved with Recovery Court program in Laconia Circuit Court.

The move from the courthouse to the Belknap County complex took less than a month from the time it was first proposed and was based on a plan developed by Loanes in cooperation with Belknap County Corrections Superintendent Dan Ward, County Facilities Manager Dustin Muzzey and County Administrator Debra Shackett.

Restorative Justice now occupies space in the commissioner's wing of the county complex, including the former facilities manager's office, the three offices once occupied by county commissioners and conference room two, which would be used as a classroom. Muzzey's office was relocated to the Belknap County Home.

Loanes says that move allows closer coordination of activities with the Belknap County Department of Corrections, which has access to the offices and conference room and has some of the same responsibilities in pre-trial confinement and community service areas. The only drawback is that the program no longer has the downtown Laconia access, which made it easier for clients to get to the program's offices.

But Loanes said that is offset by having adequate facilities, which include a public restroom where drug testing can take place.

The wing where Restorative Justice is now located remains a mixed-use space and allows access by the public to Conference Room 1, which is used for voting, commission and county convention meetings and public hearings, as well as by other county departments for meetings and training.

CAPTION:

Brian Loanes, director of the Belknap County Restorative Justice Program, in his new office at the Belknap County Complex. (Roger Amsden/for The Laconia Daily Sun)