Don supervises the Victim Services Unit Delaware County Juvenile Court, a unit that typically serves 1300 victims of crime (committed by juveniles) in any given year. He also serves as the restorative justice specialist for the court, where he primarily trains individuals and groups in restorative justice theory. Don has thirty-three years of experience in juvenile justice, with over twenty of that in probation work. Don is also an adjunct professor in the graduate program at Saint Joseph`s University, where he facilitates six different classes per year. As part of his work there, Don has designed and implemented four graduate level restorative justice classes (restorative justice theory, restorative justice practice, victimology and victim offender mediation), the first ones to be offered in Pennsylvania. His classes are also unique in that they are facilitated in Peacemaking/wisdom/Healing circle. Don also taught restorative justice practice and theory in the graduate criminal justice program at Widener University this past summer. Don has facilitated numerous workshops for the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and the Juvenile Court Judges Commission (JCJC). Don has co-facilitated twenty circle dialogue trainings in partnership with Center for Resolutions, a local mediation group in Delaware County. Don and his partner offered a three-day circle training for the Juvenile Court Judges Commission in June, 2004, and they recently conducted on site trainings at the Youth Development Center in New Castle, Pa., and Mars Home for Youth, also in Pa. Don presented a workshop on the use of circles at the NOVA conference in Atlanta, gave a workshop in Colorado on the implementation of restorative justice curriculum in universities and he presented on victim issues at the National Conference on Restorative Justice in Kerrville, Texas. Most recently, Don presented at the National Jesuit Commitment to Justice Conference at Fairfield University on bringing restorative justice into the classroom.
Don has an MS in administration of justice from Shippensburg University and a JD from Widener Law School in Delaware. Don received his restorative justice trainer certification from Florida Atlantic University and The National Institute of Corrections (NIC). He received his peacemaking circle training under Kay Pranis and Don Johnson from Minnesota and his mediation training under Mark Umbreit at the University of Minnesota. He completed his mediation in cases of severe violence training under Dave Gustafson from Vancouver, B.C. He has completed training through The Office of the Victim Advocate (OVA) in Pennsylvania as a volunteer facilitator in their Dialogue Program for Victims of Violent Crime, and has recently completed his fifth case.
A licensed Social Worker in the state of Pennsylvania, Ms. Bishop received the Master of Social Service degree from
Bryn Mawr College. She holds a Bachelor's in Sociology from the Pennsylvania State University.
Currently the supervisor of the Consent Decree Program(2002 winner of Court operated Program of the Year, a State award)
in Juvenile Court, Ms. Bishop creates programming for competency-based education of offenders. The classes are taught to
clients in the CD program, clients on regular probation, Youth Aid Panel, and District Justice-referred juveniles.
A thirty year veteran of Juvenile Justice, Ms. Bishop has served in many capacities during her tenure at Juvenile Court.
For fifteen years, she directed the Court's Day School program, which served adjudicated youth in need of specialized
schooling. She has supervised Intake, Intensive probation(in the city of Chester), and has worked as a probation officer.
She was an instructor of Sociology and Psychology at Community College for ten years. She has also taught at Drexel and
Villanova. She has supervised Graduate students from Univ. Of PA, Bryn Mawr and Widener.
She holds a post-Master's Certificate in Child&Adolescent Psychology from Bryn Mawr College.
Recent Trainings include Community Dispute Settlement and Peacemaking Circles. She has been a presenter at the PA.
Conference on Juvenile Justice, and the BARJ Conference. She has done Peacemaking Circle training at a State training,
sponsored by JCJC. She has done this training for the Newcastle Youth Development Center.
Training people in the Circle Dialogue Process has been her passion for the past five years, hi addition to training
probation staff, she has trained school personnel (Garnet Valley), Drug&Alcohol counselors, and mediators.
Jennifer A. Clement, Director, Delaware Center for Youth Development
Children’s Beach House
Jennifer joined the staff at the Children’s Beach House as the first director of the Delaware Center for Youth Development in 2006. The purpose of the Delaware Center for Youth Development is to strengthen children, youth, families, and communities by promoting Positive Youth Development theory through training of research-based models and best practices initiatives for staff of Delaware's agencies serving at-risk or special needs youth. The Positive Youth Development approach suggests that helping young people to achieve their full potential is the best way to prevent them from engaging in risky behaviors. Organizations and communities that promote Positive Youth Development give youth the chance to exercise leadership, build skills, and get involved. The self-confidence, trust, and practical knowledge that young people gain from these opportunities help them grow into healthy, happy, self-sufficient adults. Jennifer utilizes circles to build these skills in youth and adults.
Jennifer has extensive training experience and has presented at Association for Childhood Education International, California School-Age Consortium, National Alliance for Black School Educators, National School-Age Child Care Association, National School Community Corps., and many more. She comes from Pennsylvania, where she worked as the assistant executive director at the Center for Resolutions (CFR) for three years. During that time at CFR, Jennifer became a certified mediator and studied peacemaking circles with Don Haldeman and Jacki Bishop. Prior to that, she was the director of educational programs at Woodrock Inc. in Philadelphia, and was the director of curriculum at FOUNDATIONS Inc. in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where she published 5 curriculum manuals for after school programs. Jennifer holds a bachelor's degree in sociology from the College of Wooster in Ohio.