HB 2204 &
RJ Diversion

An Alternative to the

Criminal Justice System

In 2021, House Bill 2204 passed and formed the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC)'s Restorative Justice Grant Program. This was a historic moment for Restorative Justice in Oregon, and $4M were allocated for distribution.

The CJC appointed an Advisory Committee which was tasked with creating a process that would fund pilot diversion programs across the state of Oregon. After months of discussion, a Request for Grant Proposals was released to the public. A wide range of impressive organizations applied and were recommended for funding.

Conflict Artistry was one of two programs that the Advisory Committee recommended against funding, though they were identified by the CJC as eligible, and even managed to address 7 of 7 funding priorities. The primary reason for disqualifying our program was its lack of system partnership, despite CJC staff clarifying that there was no requirement for programs to partner with criminal legal systems.