• Distinguished professor of law Janine Geske was honored with a Wisconsin Academy Fellowship.
• She was recognized Sunday for her work in restorative justice and with the Safe Streets Initiative
• Geske will speak at Marquette Restorative Justice Initiative Conference next week

Janine Geske, distinguished professor of law, has been honored with a fellowship from the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, Geske was recognized for her work in the field of restorative justice within the Milwaukee community. Six others were honored at a ceremony on Sunday in Madison.

Restorative justice is a type of criminal justice that differs from traditional punishment.

"It's a unique view and a holistic approach to criminal justice that the U.S. has been slow to adopt because it is a challenging approach to crime and punishment — not just focusing on the punitive but on going in and getting violent offenders and victims of violent crimes together," said Jason Smith, director of communications for the Academy.

Geske said the Law School's Restorative Justice Initiative is in keeping with Marquette's Jesuit mission. She describes it as identifying who was harmed in a crime, identifying the harm done and finding a way to repair the damage to the offender, victim and community.

"To me it absolutely demonstrates our commitment to the mission of this university in the sense that first of all, we are working with the poor and the most vulnerable," Geske said. "We are helping them create processes so that they can be empowered and do their work. And we are spending a lot of time working with the law students to develop (one-time offenders) into leaders in their communities."

Geske is scheduled to be a presenter at the fifth annual Restorative Justice Initiative Conference to be held in the Alumni Memorial Union on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

The Academy selects its fellows by identifying those professionals who use their skills to improve the social life and welfare of Wisconsin, according to an Academy press release. Smith said Geske drew attention through her work with the Restorative Justice Institute and the Safe Streets Initiative, a neighborhood crime reduction program.

Geske said the initiative began with a $2.5 million grant from the Department of Justice and has developed into a wide-reaching effort to reduce neighborhood crime within the city. The project includes a crackdown on high-level gang members in a neighborhood followed by a restorative justice process to clean up small-time drug dealers and non-violent criminals. Safe Streets aims to stop the cycle of violence in these neighborhoods by appealing to community leaders in an effort to galvanize residents against crime, she said.

Safe Streets Community Prevention Coordinator Ron Johnson said the project aims for a zero-tolerance attitude within the community, but tries to reform one-time offenders.

"We go to guys getting out the message that continued crime is not to be tolerated, but we do have the resources and a support network to help," Johnson said.

Tuesday's conference will include discussions on Safe Streets and community response to crime, Geske said.