A Letter from Melissa Bellew, Board Chair

December 2025

Dear Friend,

Next year, roughly 1,000 youths across Maine will have their first run-in with law enforcement.¹ When we take the time to learn these kids’ stories, it becomes clear that this “first” incident is not a first, but rather part of a larger cycle of harm in the community.  I’m writing to you today because I know we share a commitment to break that cycle. You and I share a commitment to respond to harm with healing.

James* is a friend and neighbor who now frequents our Soup n’ Cirlce’s in Belfast. Looking back on his youth, he reflects on the context surrounding his behavior: “My mother was abusive, so when my dad got out of prison I ended up moving in with him. My dad, he knew my mother was abusive, so he didn’t really want to discipline me… I was basically just running wild with my friends.” At age 13, James and his friends committed a theft in their neighborhood.

The sobering reality is that two-thirds of kids incarcerated in Maine have a child welfare claim in their history, and youth of color in Maine are at least twice as likely to be incarcerated compared to their white peers.² Our young people need care, not criminalization.

This is where Restorative Justice Project Maine comes in, offering a transformative alternative. By guiding participants through reflection, dialogue, and the crafting and completion of a harm repair agreement, our approach builds accountability that is rooted in empathy and care.

For James, the involvement of Restorative Justice Project Maine was transformational.

When James and his friends stole property from a neighbor’s driveway, they had been thinking only of making a quick buck. Little did they know, to the family they stole from, the loss was deeply personal.

Symbolic of a late family member, the lost item carried irreplaceable sentimental value.

“The first time we met with [the father] he was super super angry, which I totally understand. There really wasn’t a good enough explanation.”

Although the theft had opened painful wounds, through a series of dialogues, the youth were able to connect with the family. They explained that their actions had been thoughtless, not malicious. In addition to recovering the stolen item, the teens decided to plant a memorial garden.

“The big thing was doing something for them, and having them come see the garden at our last meeting… It turned into a bond I still have with the family to this day.”

Although James had been in trouble before, unlike his experiences in court, restorative justice asked him to think beyond himself.

“What hit me the hardest was just realizing—it seemed little to me at the time, just stealing something—how big it could devastate someone else… Things I didn’t even get caught for, it made me think about, ‘I wonder who that’s affected?’”

Since our grassroots beginnings, Restorative Justice Project Maine has impacted countless lives thanks to our community of donors and volunteers. We are proud to partner with you to offer:

• Restorative justice facilitation and mentorship for youth across ten counties
• Supportive community for returning citizens after incarceration
• Groundbreaking restorative interventions and education in Maine treatment court
• Trainings to equip more Mainers to become restorative justice practitioners

This year, expanding into six new counties has given Restorative Justice Project Maine the unprecedented opportunity to “get our foot in the door” in many new communities. Our next step—our capacity to reach and support youth like James—depends on you.

Every young person, like James, deserves the opportunity to heal their relationship with the community. Please join me with a gift today, to invest in the futures of our youth and our communities.

Sincerely,

Melissa Bellew
Board Chair

P.S.  Your gift today will set the course for what is possible in years to come.

*Names & identifying details have been changed.

1. Juvenile Division 2025 Annual Report, Maine Department of Corrections, March 2025. ↩︎
2.  Data Snapshot of Youth Incarceration in Maine, Urban Institute, April 2020. ↩︎