Restorative Justice Responses to Traffic Violence: Successful Stories and Persistent Barriers

Traffic violence represents a significant public health crisis with far-reaching consequences for victims, families, and communities. This session examines how restorative justice principles can be applied to address serious harm in traffic violence cases, drawing from the innovative partnership between Families for Safe Streets and the Center for Justice Innovation.

Participants will learn about the scope and impact of traffic violence as an epidemic affecting communities nationwide, exploring how these incidents create ripple effects that extend far beyond the immediate parties involved. The session will demonstrate what comprehensive restorative justice responses look like when thoughtfully integrated into existing criminal legal systems, showcasing real-world examples of successful programs and interventions.

Through case studies and success stories, attendees will see how restorative practices can provide meaningful pathways for accountability, healing, and community repair in cases involving serious traffic-related harm. The presentation will also address significant implementation challenges, particularly examining how certain legal frameworks and professional practices—including approaches taken by civil attorneys—can inadvertently create barriers that prevent access to restorative processes for those who seek them.

This session combines practical insights with critical analysis, offering participants both inspiration from successful models and honest discussion of the structural obstacles that must be addressed to expand restorative justice options in this complex area of harm and healing.

About Hillary Packer

Hillary Packer currently serves as Deputy Director of Restorative Practices at the Center for Justice Innovation (the Center). After learning of the myriad ways the punitive system perpetrates violence and suffering---as a volunteer in Detroit prisons, an investigator of police misconduct, a court advocate for Alternative-to-Incarceration programming, a support to incarcerated people coming up for parole and mediator in the wake of court processes---she committed to the practice of RJ. Since joining the Center in 2018, she has worked at the intersection of IPV and RJ; codesigned a restorative process to support re-entry from prison and led the design of the Circles for Safe Streets program--the Center’s restorative response to traffic violence. She supports the Director in overseeing the implementation of RJ processes in response to interpersonal harm cases while they are along the court continuum. She received her BA from the University of Michigan and was a Graduate Fellow at CUNY School of Law where she received her JD. She is deeply supported by Zen Buddhism, embodiment practices, her phenomenal colleagues both in and outside the Center and her only living descendant, Sid.

About Bobby Preti

Bobby Preti is the Senior Social Worker at Families for Safe Streets, an organization of members who have lost a loved ones to traffic violence or themselves been injured in a crash. He has worked there since 2022.