Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Raphah Institute
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As:
Mailing Address: 615 Main Street, Suite 103
City: Nashville
State: Tennessee
Postal Code: 37206
Main Phone: (615) 601-1709
Main Fax:
Organization Website: https://www.raphah.org/
Employer ID Number: 82-1181441
Organization Tax Status: 501(c)3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 3/31/23
Requested Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Restorative Justice Diversion
Project Description:

Raphah Institute was founded in 2017, in response to the significant community need for youth justice intervention, to partner with communities to implement new strategies for prevention and justice for youth at risk of incarceration. Tennessee is notorious for its high incarceration rates, with no exception for youth. The Ad Hoc Tennessee Blue Ribbon Task Force on Juvenile Justice (2017) found that in the prior five years, the amount of time children spent in detention facilities increased by 10 percent. And being arrested and spending any amount of time incarcerated at a young age are adverse childhood experiences that can negatively impact brain development and lead to poor long-term health outcomes.

Launched in 2018 as a partnership with the Juvenile Court, District Attorney, Public Defender, and Metro Nashville Police, Raphah Institute’s Restorative Justice Diversion Program (RJDP) provides pre-charge diversion for youth (ages 12-17) who have committed felony level harm. Our highly skilled Restorative Justice Facilitators lead both parties through a voluntary process that accounts for the harm that has occurred and leads to a conversation between the person harmed and the young person responsible for that harm. Together, both parties reach agreements about what the responsible youth can do to make things as right as possible, and our facilitators monitor the young person’s adherence to those agreements. In cases in which incarceration does not serve the public interest, RJDP offers a safe, trauma-informed, disparity-reducing option that seeks to mend a tear in the fabric of a community and allows for true accountability to be taken by the young person. To date, 60 young people have completed RJDP, with less than a 5% reconviction rate.

Total Project Budget: $400,000 (FY23)

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Nashville Mayor’s Office – $237,770; TN Office of Criminal Justice Programs – $150,000

Project Duration: Ongoing
Geographical Area Served: Davidson County and Shelby County, Tennessee
Age Group To Be Served: 12-17

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
Contact First Name: Claudia
Contact Last Name: Lawhon
Contact Title: Restorative Initiatives Support Specialist
Contact Phone: (239) 450-1430
Contact Email: admin@raphah.org