Restorative Approaches to Policing Institute
October 6th – 8th, 2021
For descriptions of the events, go here.
Mike Butler
Mike Butler was the public safety chief in Longmont, Colorado. He reinvented public safety within the context of partnerships and leveraged community social capital. During his tenure, Longmont public safety instilled a philosophy that included the utilization of many alternative options to the criminal justice system. Those options embraced restorative principles and practices in public safety’s response to numerous social and health issues in their community.
Mike is sought by communities throughout the country who want to learn how to rethink and reset their own public safety response to various social and health issues.
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A. Elizabeth Griffith
A. Elizabeth Griffith is Acting Deputy Director at the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). At BJA, Ms. Griffith has also served as the Acting Deputy Director of Planning and Associate Deputy Director for Justice Systems. She started her career at DOJ in the National Institute of Justice as the Director of the Development. Before that, Ms. Griffith worked for over a decade on criminal justice at the local level, serving as the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Criminal Justice for the City of Baltimore where she advised the Mayor and managed criminal justice initiatives and grants, including the development of the Baltimore Drug Court Program and the Comprehensive Communities Program. Prior to her work in criminal justice policy, Ms. Griffith was in general practice, focusing on civil and criminal litigation.
William T. Jackson
William holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics from Florida State University and a Master of Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University. He is an Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management’s (APPAM) 2020 Equity and Inclusion Student Fellow and member of Phi Alpha Alpha Honor Society of the National Association of Schools for Public Affairs and Administration. William currently is a Public Affairs Ph.D. Candidate at Florida International University and serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant within the Public Policy and Administration Department. He is committed to serving individuals, families, and communities that have limited access and opportunity due to political, economic, and social factors.
His research interests are in the areas of social equity, political control of bureaucracy (overhead democracy/ principal-agent theory), bureaucratic politics (representative bureaucracy), and social construction. William focuses on examining racial inequities within the juvenile and criminal justice system within American society. Specifically, he is currently testing whether two of the most popular theories in public administration – political control and representative bureaucracy – can help us understand disparities in public service provision. Mr. Jackson served 2 years with the FIU Jorge M. Pérez Metropolitan Center as a Graduate Research Assistant and 12 years with the Urban League of Broward County. In his last role at the Urban League, William led and managed the Community Justice Division. In addition, William has served on the Broward Diversion Coalition as Co-Chair; Southeast Florida Crime Prevention Association; Florida Crime Prevention Association; Florida Department of Juvenile Justice – Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) Committee; Florida Restorative Justice Association as Board Vice-President; and is currently a member of the National Association for Community and Restorative Justice (NACRJ). He is also the Founder and Board President of The Justice Project of South Florida (JPSFL) which aims to reduce the arrests and incarceration of youth; increase cultural competency, racial equity, and social justice; as well as promote positive interactions between law enforcement and communities of color.
Dr. Micah E. Johnson
Dr. Micah E. Johnson is a sociologist trained in criminology and psychiatric epidemiology. He serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at USF. Dr. Johnson’s research centers around childhood trauma, behavioral health, and juvenile justice. He has been awarded over two million dollars in research grants by the National Institutes of Health. His research has been cited by the New York Times, Senator Bernie Sanders, and others. Dr. Johnson recently authored a children’s book entitled Never Had a Friend. It describes his experiences with living in homeless shelters as a child. He also recently co-authored The Little Book of Police Youth Dialogue: A Restorative Path Toward Justice, which is a leading resource for police dialogue. Dr. Johnson is also a pioneer of forensic sociology, serving in the state and federal court system as an expert witness, leveraging the science of trauma, disadvantage, and substance misuse to empower the justice system to make more informed decisions. Dr. Johnson’s work can be discovered online using #DoctorMicahJohnson or by visiting DoctorMicahJohnson.com.
Kathleen McGoey, MA
Kathleen McGoey, MA, has been expanding the field of restorative justice practices through her leadership of Longmont Community Justice Partnership (LCJP) for the last eight years. In April 2021, Kathleen left her position as LCJP’s Executive Director to launch Kathleen McGoey & Associates, Inc. and focus on increasing the use of restorative practices as tools for conflict transformation outside the justice and educational settings. Kathleen has delivered training to law enforcement agencies, educators, district attorneys, volunteers, and community groups throughout Colorado and beyond. She co-authored her second book, The Little Book of Restorative Teaching Tools, (Good Books, 2020) to capture and share the success of experiential learning methods she developed with colleagues at LCJP. Kathleen has a Masters in International Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and a BA from the University of Notre Dame. She began facilitating conversations around social justice issues in Tijuana, Mexico while serving as the Executive Director of Los Embajadores. In 2013, Kathleen published her first book, Harmonizing Heavens and Earth: A Daoist Shamanic Approach to Elicitive Peacework (Lit Verlag). Kathleen is recognized for her ability to create engaging, inclusive learning environments that prioritize embodiment, authenticity, and wellbeing.
Katie Sandson
Katie Sandson is an attorney at the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law (CRRJ). At CRRJ, Sandson directs projects under the Racial Redress and Reparations Lab, including the Historical Injustices and Present Policing Project (HIPP) and the development of a toolkit on state and local legislation to address historical injustices. She also works with law students to investigate cases of racially motivated homicide in the Jim Crow South.
Sandson received her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School. She served in a clinical position at Harvard Law School for two years before joining CRRJ.
Captain Tysheika L. Shaw-Williams
Captain Tysheika L. Shaw-Williams is a Captain with the Miramar Police Department who specializes in Restorative Justice with a focus on bridging the gap between juveniles and law enforcement. She is currently engaged in a passion project called “Sister Circle” that highlights women of Leadership on her social media platforms.
Captain Shaw is a Miami, FL native. As a teenager, after witnessing the strained relationship between police officers and her community, she made a promise to herself to pursue a career in Law Enforcement in order to improve community relations. Captain Shaw began her career in 2005 with the Margate Police Department as a Victim Advocate, Domestic Violence Practitioner. After receiving a Masters’ Degree in Criminology in 2008, she joined the Miramar Police Department where she happily serves her fellow officers and community today.
During her tenure with the Miramar Police Department, Captain Shaw worked in the capacity of road patrol, safe streets, and community resource officer. During that time, she used every opportunity to give back to the community by volunteering for charity events and serving as a mentor for Miramar’s DREAM (Determination Reveals Everlasting & Achievable Memories) program for teenage girls.
Upon being promoted to Sergeant, Shaw supervised patrol officers and the community service aide unit, which led to her receiving the Excellence in Policing Service Award in 2018. Following this achievement, Shaw was transferred to the Criminal Investigations Division Unit where she provided direct supervision to detectives in the Special Victims Unit. During her time in the Detective Bureau, she oversaw cases such as sex trafficking, missing persons and child abuse cases, which resulted in her receiving her 2nd Excellence in Policing Service Award. In 2020, Shaw was selected to serve in the prestigious role of Internal Affairs Investigator for the Office of the Chief. She was recently promoted to Captain. Her current roles include serving as a Public Information Officer, Recruiter and Community Relations Coordinator for the Miramar Police Department.
Continuing with her community outreach, Captain Shaw serves as co-chair for South Florida’s Justice Project and is a Restorative Justice facilitator with the Urban League of Broward County. She’s a committee member for the Girls Coordinating Council with the Children Services of Broward County and a board member on the Florida Restorative Justice Association. Happily, Cpt. Shaw is currently working under the mentorship of Dr. Agatha Caraballo, Director of Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership at Florida International University.
Captain Shaw is a mother and a wife to a fellow law enforcement officer. She is a proud breast cancer survivor, yogi and world traveler who serves as a mentor to other women undergoing chemotherapy.
Staci Stallings
Staci Stallings is a retired Master Police Officer from the Longmont Police Department in Colorado. Staci joined the Longmont Police Department in 2007, after attending Metro State College in Denver and putting herself through the Police Academy at the Community College of Aurora. Staci served as Patrol Officer for six years and was assigned to the Special Operations Unit as a School Resource Officer at Silver Creek High School where she served for eight years.
During her career as an Officer, Staci was a Liaison with the Longmont Community Justice Partnership for over 10 years and developed a passion for the principles and practice of Restorative Justice (RJ). Staci worked with Silver Creek High School to develop a Student RJ Team and implement RJ at SCHS, as well as provided training for the Campus Supervisors of St. Vrain Valley School District on Restorative Conversations.
Staci was also on the Bike Patrol Team and a Fitness Counselor for the Department and served as a Crisis Negotiator on the SWAT Team for five and a half years. She was also an Explorer Advisor for two years and Background Investigator for two years.
Staci is supported at home by her wife of 17 years, Jodi, who is also in Civil Service and their two dogs, who weigh an enormous, combined total of eight pounds. Staci likes spending time with friends and family, mountain biking, hiking, vacationing (preferably near an ocean), weightlifting, and woodworking.
Raymond Wilkes
Attorney Raymond Wilkes is a Legal Fellow with the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts. Attorney Wilkes manages the project’s cold cases, conducts police trainings based on the project’s archive, supervises students and attorneys working the project’s cases, and fosters relationships with similar situated civil rights organizations. In addition to his work with CRRJ, Attorney Wilkes serves as an advisor to Northeastern University’s Restorative and Transformative Justice Task Force and Southern University Law Center’s Louis A. Berry Institute for Civil Rights and Justice.
Restorative Policing 