About Us
Dr. Sandra Pavelka, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Community & Restorative Justice Associates and Pavelka Consulting Group. Dr. Pavelka serves as Professor and Founding Director of the Institute for Youth and Justice Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. Dr. Pavelka is a recipient of the distinguished National Points of Light award. Dr, Pavelka was awarded the Lois Haight Award of Excellence and Innovation by the Congressional Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus. She is also the recipient of the Leadership and Service Award by the Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and the McTarnaghan Teaching Award at Florida Gulf Coast University.
Dr. Pavelka previously served as Project Administrator of the Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) Project, funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice.
Prior to her appointment at Florida Atlantic University, she served as the Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Youth Policy at Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad Law Center. In this position, she administered the Florida and National Juvenile Detention Initiatives funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and served as Research Director for the Center.
Dr. Pavelka received her Ph.D. in Public Administration with a specialization in Justice Policy from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. Her dissertation, Practice to Policy to Management: A Restorative Justice Framework, focused on system reform and policy implementation of restorative justice nationally. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Florida International University in Miami, Florida and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida.
Dr. Pavelka is an internationally recognized restorative justice expert. Dr. Pavelka is Senior Advisor on Restorative Justice for Restorative Justice on the Rise and the Peace Alliance. Dr. Pavelka serves on the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Association Advisory Council and is Chair of the Law and Policy Work Group. She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the U.S. Congressional Crime Survivors and Justice Caucus. Dr. Pavelka is a Certified Family Court Mediator and Certified Restorative Justice Trainer. Dr. Pavelka has authored numerous books, book chapters, publications, and conference presentations. She has provided consultation, training and technical assistance with legislators, policymakers, justice system and educational stakeholders, victim advocates, nonprofit and community organizations in the development and implementation of restorative justice principles, practices, legislation, policies and evaluation.
Dr. Pavelka is Chair of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, Twentieth Judicial Circuit, State of Florida. Dr. Pavelka is a Political and Justice Analyst for local, state and national media. She is actively involved in service through her work in the community with the PACE Center for Girls, Girls Coordinating Council of Lee County, Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida, as well as other organizations. Dr. Pavelka’s greatest pride is her 3 children - Lauren, Breann, and Conner.
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
When You Come to the Fork in the Road, Take It: The Journey of Restorative Justice. Pavelka, S. & A. Seymour, forthcoming.
The Legacy of Community Justice. Editors: Pavelka, S., A. Seymour, B. Stuart. Kanata, ON: J Charlton Publishing Ltd., 2013.
International Perspectives on Restorative Justice in Education. Editors: Charlton, J., S. Pavelka, and P.J. Verrecchia. Kanata, ON: J Charlton Publishing Ltd, 2011.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Bazemore, G. and S. O’Brien, “The Quest for a Restorative Model of Rehabilitation: Theory-for-Practice and Practice-for-Theory,” in Restorative Justice and the Law, edited by Walgrave, L., Portland, OR: Willan Publishing, 2002.
JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Richner, K.A. S. Pavelka and D. McChargue,, "A Restorative Justice Intervention in United States Prisons: Implications of Intervention Timing, Age, and Gender on Recidivism," International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2022.
McChargue, D., S. Pavelka and J. Kennedy. "Restorative Justice Interventions," Corrections Today, Nov/Dec 2020.
Pavelka, S. and D. Thomas, “The Evolution of Balanced and Restorative Justice,” Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 7(1), 2019.
Pavelka, S. and A. Seymour, “Guiding Principles for Restorative Justice and Victims,” Corrections Today, Jan/Feb 2019.
Pavelka, S., Restorative Justice in the States: An Analysis of Statutory Legislation and Policy, Justice Policy Journal, 13(2), 2016.
Pavelka, S. and D. Thomas, "Performance Measurement in Juvenile Justice: Developing and Implementing Model Reporting Systems," Perspectives, American Probation and Parole Association, Winter 2016.
Rowan Leach, M. and S. Pavelka, "The Political Rise of Restorative Justice," Huffington Post, March 26, 2014.
Pavelka, S. "Practices and Policies for Implementing Restorative Justice Within Schools," The Prevention Researcher, 20(1), 2013.
O'Brien, S. "Restorative Justice: Principles, Practices, and Application," The Prevention Researcher, 14 (Supplement), 2007.