WHEATLAND — Fred Van Liew, a practicing attorney, mediator and justice consultant in Iowa, will lead a weekend presentation titled “The Promise of Restorative Justice” Oct. 21-23 at Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat.
The program will compare and contrast restorative justice with the traditional justice system; chart the history of Restorative Justice in the United States; introduce the participants to basic restorative practices; and engage the participants in conversation on where this country is now and where it needs to go.
Van Liew has served as an assistant Iowa Attorney General, attorney for Polk County Legal Aid, and clinical instructor at Drake University Law School. From 1991–2010 he was a bureau chief with the Polk County Attorney’s Office in Des Moines where he initiated several Restorative Justice programs. Since 2010, Van Liew has directed Mediation Services for Employee and Family Resources in Des Moines. He also serves as the Restorative Practices coordinator for the Center for Restorative Justice in Portland, Maine, and is engaged in private practice with Van Liew Mediation and Consulting in Des Moines. He is the author of the recently published “The Justice Diary-An Inquiry Into Justice In America.”
The program begins Friday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. and continues until Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. Meals are included. Meals are prepared with local and organic ingredients. Cost is $125. To register, call (563) 336-8414 or email
olpretreat@gmail.com. Our Lady of the Prairie is located at 2664 145th Ave., Wheatland.
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