Pending Restorative Justice Legislation >>

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November 30, 2007
The 800-mile walk to stop executions ends in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO, CA: Walkers representing Death Penalty Focus, California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty, and Amnesty International USA completed their 800-mile trek from San Diego to Sacramento. They were joined along the way by many supporters. At each stopover, the participants met with the district attorney in every county along the route and urged them not to seek the death penalty in any case.
Learn more >>

November 26, 2007
New Jersey Catholic Bishops issue new statement condemning the death penalty
TRENTON, NJ: “Consistently, over many decades, the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey have called for the abolishment of the death penalty… Our message always is simple – the death penalty takes a human life and should be abolished.
Read the full statement >>

November 21, 2007
Restorative justice is working in Minneapolis community
MINNEAPOLIS, MN: The Midtown Community Restorative Justice Council in south Minneapolis offers non-violent offenders an opportunity to restore their reputation within the community and to repay the community for the troubles they caused. The Justice Council has been operating successfully since 1998.
Read more >>

November 16 and 17, 2007
DrPrison Radio to broadcast live from prison for premiere of the movie D.O.P.E
CALIPATRIA, CA: DrPrison Radio will be broadcasting live from Calipatria State Prison, a Level 4 maximum security prison and one of the toughest prisons in the nation on Friday, November 16, 2:00pm and Saturday, November 17 at 5:00pm PST. Steve Scholl and Tom Miller will be at Calipatria for the premiere of the movie D.O.P.E. (Death or Prison Eventually) that chronicles the rise and fall of Bruce Logan, Jay Adams, Dennis Martinez and Christian Hosoi, four of the world’s most influential skateboarders. This live, uncensored broadcast from inside a Level 4 prison is unprecedented. DrPrison Radio is a weekly show that addresses pre-prison, incarceration and post-prison issues as well as addiction as it relates to prisoners.
Listen online >>

November 1, 2007
Alternative to “catch ‘em, bail ‘em, and jail ‘em” for Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department
SANTA BARBARA, CA: Nine deputies with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department underwent four days of intensive training in “restorative justice,” an alternative to the traditional “catch ’em, bail ’em, and jail ’em” approach to criminal justice. The training — led by New Zealander Allan MacRae — focused on techniques that bring juvenile offenders and their families together with the victims of the offenders’ crimes, forcefully acquainting juvenile defendants with the human impact of their actions, in hopes that they will not offend again. The theory behind getting relatives involved is that family members can do a much better job keeping the offenders out of trouble than could overworked probation officers.
Read article >>

October 24, 2007
Chowchilla Family Express keeps running
LOS ANGELES, CA: This weekend and every weekend the Chowchilla Family Express provides free transportation for families to visit loved ones at Valley State Prison for Women and the Central California Women’s Facility. Women and Criminal Justice, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Gender Responsive Commission partner to make this program happen.
Visit their web site >>
View the bus schedule >>

October 19, 2007
Re-entry hub for inmates raises foes
FAIRFIELD, CA: No one is disputing that some sort of training and counseling is needed for state prison inmates prior to their parole and re-entry into society. But the battle lines are being drawn about where it should happen. Today, the Fairfield City Council voted unanimously to oppose construction of a state prison re-entry facility adjacent to its county jail.
Read more >>

October 2, 2007
Ill and aging in California prisons
CORONA, CA: Fifty older women from the community gathered at the California Institution for Women today to discuss aging issues with their imprisoned counterparts. Sponsored by the Women and Criminal Justice Network, this day-long event was held to bring awareness to the crisis of health care in a growing population of elderly prisoners. With the over-55 population of prisons projected to triple in the next 15 years, this is a critical discussion.
Read more >>
Learn about related pending legislation >>

September 21, 2007
Pope offers support for international gathering of prison chaplains
VATICAN CITY: Calling pastoral care for prisoners a “vital mission,” Pope Benedict welcomed participants to the 12th World Congress of the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care. The theme for the congress was “discovering the face of Christ in every prisoner.” Debbie McDermott, California Catholic Conference representative, spoke to the conference about the crisis in the California prison system saying, “172,284 inmates are warehoused in 33 prisons designed for less than 100,000.” The conference issued a declaration calling for the abolition of the death penalty and a no-tolerance policy on torture.
Learn more about the Congress >>

September 20, 2007
One in six deaths in California prisons is preventable
SAN FRANCISCO, CA: “Across the board we see delays in diagnosis and access to care and needed tests; misfiled, incomplete or illegible medical records; lack of space, sanitation and staffing; … failures by clinicians to recognize and evaluate 'red flag' symptoms, follow published guidelines, perform basic physical examinations, or respond to patient complaints,” wrote Robert Sillen, the federal receiver who conducted the investigation.
Read the report >>

San Quentin Under the Microscope
View the slide show about the state of medical care in California’s prisons and what Robert Sillen has been doing about it.
view >>

September 13, 2007
Adopting restorative justice practices with students proves successful
CHICAGO, IL: South suburban schools near Chicago have put restorative justice programs in place for discipline problems. The result? Suspensions and truancy are down, attitudes are positive.
Read more >>

September 11, 2007
School to Prison Reform Project is launched in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS, LA: The Southern Poverty Law Center has launched a new national initiative to help students with special needs get services that may mean the difference between graduation and incarceration. Children of color with emotional disturbances face overwhelming odds against their success in school. SPLC intends to do something about that and what better place to start than New Orleans?
Read about the Project >>

September 6, 2007
Governor Warns of Prisoner Release Dangers
SACRAMENTO, CA: Gov. Schwarzenegger responds to the panel of federal judges that is considering placing a population cap on the state's overcrowded prison system.
Read story >>

State plan would provide a year of hometown rehab for prisoners
FRESNO, CA: Officials from nine San Joaquin Valley counties are debating how to give inmates nearing release from state prison a year of rehabilitation in their hometowns. They met in Fresno to share proposals about how to secure funding, and how to build re-entry facilities throughout central California. At least 32 facilities will be built throughout the state, each housing up to 500 inmates, as part of prison reform legislation signed into law in May by the governor. Counties are scheduled to submit proposals to the state this fall.

September 4, 2007
“The Exonerated” offers powerful, true stories about innocence, injustice and redemption
Sunny Jacobs was convicted and sentenced to death for a crime she did not commit. Her story and those of five other wrongly convicted death row survivors are told in this Academy Award nominated film starring Brian Dennehy, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Aidan Quinn, Susan Sarandon and David Brown, Jr. will engage your emotion and incite your passion in an unforgettable way. DVDs are now available through Amnesty International.
Learn more >>

Restoring Classroom Justice
CHICAGO, IL: The Chicago School Board has passed a Student Code of Conduct that makes “restorative justice” a central approach to school discipline. This is the result of a four year organizing campaign by a coalition of Chicago students, parents and educators.
Read article >>

September 1, 2007
Juvenile prison reform bill passes state Senate vote
SACRAMENTO, CA: California's juvenile criminals will have better access to their families under a bill passed by the state senate. The Family Connection and Young Offender Rehabilitation Act of 2007, AB1300, will return to the Assembly for concurrence on a few amendments before going to the governor's desk. The bill requires the Division of Juvenile Justice to encourage wards to communicate with family members, clergy, and others, and to participate in programs that will help the ward become a law-abiding and productive member of society.
Read analysis of the bill >>

August 20, 2007
Fresno Pacific takes up criminology with a twist
FRESNO, CA: What would Jesus do if he were educating today's cops and probation officers? Fresno Pacific University doesn't claim any divine answer. But the small private school in southeast Fresno provides one response with a new criminology program infused with Christian values: Evil can cause crime. Victims need to be loved. Crooks should be punished, but are worth saving.
Read more >>

August 19, 2007
Murals lend drama to a California prison
SAN QUENTIN, CA: Almost unknown to the outside world, six remarkable murals were created more than 50 years ago by a young Mexican-American prisoner. After serving four years for possession of heroin, Alfredo Santos went on to a successful career as an artist. If the murals were in a public access building, they almost certainly would have been protected long ago with a landmark designation. But hidden in an overcrowded and decaying prison whose own fate is up in the air, the murals face an uncertain future.
Read full story >>

Kids doing time with their parents
CALIFORNIA: A minimum of 9% of California’s children have a parent in prison, and no one knows how many have a grandparent in prison. Grandmothers of the Light is a non-profit organization formed to ensure that these children are able to stay in touch with incarcerated family members with phone calls, mailing supplies and visits.
Learn about Grandmothers of the Light >>

August 18, 2007
Being There: Bridges to Life Ministry
Photographer Sarah Wilson talks about the revealing images of inmates and victims she did for Texas Monthly.
See the video >>
Learn about Bridges to Life >>

August 11, 2007
Central Coast leaders confront rising gang violence at Lompoc community meeting
LOMPOC, CA: Members of the public as well as judicial workers and law enforcement personnel attended a countywide symposium on a movement aimed at getting criminal offenders to take responsibility for their actions. The symposium was sponsored by the Restorative Justice Task Force of Santa Maria, the newly formed Santa Barbara Restorative Justice Task Force, and Lompoc Unified School District Adult Education, with funding from the Fund for Santa Barbara.
Learn more >>

August 7, 2007
Parole packets for Texas inmates
SAN ANTONIO, TX: The San Antonio Current created a special supplement that Texas inmate families can print out and send to their loved ones who are doing time. Perhaps the most important item in the supplement is a primer on how to create a “parole packet” to submit to the Board of Pardons and Parole in support of an inmate’s petition for release. Rosie Campos Lopez of the Texas Inmate Family Association shares her experience helping dozens of families create such packets.
Download Pen to Paper >>

Innocents in prison
This Atlantic Monthly article holds that thousands of wrongly convicted people are languishing in prisons across the country. DNA testing is changing the situation, but not fast enough.
Read the article >>

August 3, 2007
Inmates contribute $450K to crime victims
TUCSON, AZ: Arizona state prison inmates donated almost $450,000 this year to crime victim organizations throughout the state. These donations were in cash or in-kind contributions and were not part of any court restitution. The program is overseen by the Restorative Justice initiative of the Arizona Department of Corrections.
Learn more >>

July 27, 2007
Governor to appeal panel prison study
SACRAMENTO, CA: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signaled his intention to appeal a federal court decision that orders a special judicial panel to examine severe overcrowding in California's prison system.
Read story >>

July 24, 2007
Harmon Wray, a tireless crusader to end the death penalty, dies
TENNESSEE: Harmon Wray was a champion for prison reform and upholding the dignity of those who are incarcerated. He was the author of Restorative Justice: Moving Beyond Punishment (New York: General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church, 2002), and co-author with Laura Magnani of Beyond Prisons: A New Interfaith Paradigm for Our Failed Prison System (Fortress Press, 2006).
Read more >>

Black Americans and prison
DALLAS, TX: If trends continue, one in three black males born today will end up in prison.
Read commentary >>

July 26, 2007
Program gives teen offenders second chance
DES MOINES, IA: The Urbandale Restorative Justice Program has helped nearly 300 juvenile offenders during its first year. The project was started in May 2006 as a way to help youths understand how their crimes affect others
Read more >>

Restorative justice panels impact drunk driving offenders
HUSDON, WI: Victim impact panels hosted by the St. Croix Valley Restorative Justice Program provide victims, offenders and community members the opportunity to tell the devastating impact of drinking and driving.
Read more >>

July 24, 2007
U.S. judges order review of California prison crowding
SACRAMENTO, CA: Federal judges say Gov. Schwarzenegger’s plans fall short and order creation of a three-judge panel to consider capping California's inmate population.
Read more >>

July 13, 2007
Dr. Phil talks with mother in Chowchilla and her children
On his July 13th show, Dr. Phil introduced six beautiful children whose lives were torn apart when their mom, Angela, was sent to prison not once, but twice.
Learn what life is like with a mom serving time >>

July 5, 2007
He found a calling in prison
SACRAMENTO, CA: Pat Nolan went from being a lock’em up Republican in the California statehouse to prison as one of the bad guys. His journey transformed him, and he now is a national advocate for rehabilitation and justice.
Read the story >>

June 29, 2007
California responsible for 1 out of 5 new inmates in US prisons last year
WASHINGTON, DC: According to “Prisoners and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006,” a new survey from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the mid-year accounting for prison and jail growth found that “in both absolute numbers and percent change, the increase was the largest since midyear 2000.” The new survey showed that about 6 out of 10 people in prison and jail were African American or Latino, and that nearly 5 percent of African American men were in prison or jail. The new survey showed that one out of every five new people added to prison in the United States were in California.
Read the report >>

June 28, 2007
Judges express frustration with the pace of prison reform
SACRAMENTO, CA: Two federal court judges expressed frustration with state officials over the slow pace of prison reform and suggested that a judicial panel with authority to impose a population cap — which would almost certainly spur the early release of some prisoners — may be the surest way to alleviate chronic overcrowding.
Read more >>

June 22, 2007
Openings for Catholic chaplains at California institutions
Immediate openings are available at:
California Institution for Women, Chino (full time)
Diocese of San Bernardino
California Rehabilitation Center, Norco (full time)
Diocese of San Bernardino
Napa State Hospital, Imola (full time)
Diocese of Santa Rosa
Coalinga State Hospital, Coalinga (part time)
Diocese of Fresno
Qualified applicants include priests, men and women religious, deacons or lay persons with appropriate background and skills. A letter of endorsement of good standing in the church from the Bishop in which the institution is located must accompany all applications. Send resumes, accompanied by three references with current phone numbers to Debbie McDermott:
email: dmcdermott@cacatholic.org
phone: (916) 313-4015
fax: (916) 443-4731
Information about CA state employment and application form >>
Job description and salary scale >>

June 7, 2007
Tennessee’s death penalty gets a closer look
NASHVILLE, TN: The Tennessee General Assembly has voted to set up a bi-partisan, one-year study commission that will examine Tennessee’s death penalty system. Several months ago, the American Bar Association released an assessment of the system and found that the state was in compliance with only 7 of the 93 benchmarks put forward to guarantee fair functioning of the capital punishment system. “Tennessee’s death penalty system is dangerously broken, and the legislature should be commended for acknowledging these flaws and taking steps to fix them,” stated Stacy Rector, Executive Director of the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing.
Read more >>

May 22, 2007
John Grisham talks about wrongful conviction on NBC’s Dateline
Bestselling author, John Grisham, appeared on Dateline to discuss the murder case that resulted in the wrongful conviction of two men in Ada, Oklahoma, and why his first work of nonfiction, The Innocent Man, has generated controversy in law enforcement circles.
Read article >>

May 19, 2007
Study questions long term isolation practices
TUCSON, AZ: At a statewide networking forum the American Friends Service Committee Arizona Program kicked off the StopMax Arizona Campaign: a statewide effort to end the use of long-term solitary confinement. "We have a system that relies on the failed strategy of long-term solitary confinement," said Caroline Isaacs, Director of the Arizona American Friends Service Committee, "this is a clear human rights issue, but in addition, it is also a practice that fails to accomplish the security goals it claims to address. It fails to protect prison staff and inmates, it threatens public safety, and it does so at an outrageous social and economic cost."
Read more >>
Download the executive summary >>

May 15, 2007
Stanford Prison Experiment to become movie
STANFORD, CA: Psychology Professor Philip Zimbardo’s famous 1971 experiment, is coming to film. In this study student volunteers were assigned roles of mock prison guards and prisoners. Zimbardo was required to end the experiment prematurely because of the intensity with which the volunteers began to believe they were actually in prison. The screenplay is co-written by Christopher McQuarrie, who won an Oscar for “The Usual Suspects” in 1996. Production begins in October.
Read article >>

May 7, 2007
Summer Peacebuilding Institute Opens at Eastern Mennonite University
HARRISONBURG, VA: The 12th Summer Peacebuilding Institute opened with enrollees from 34 nations. The program is sponsored by EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and draws participants who live in locations of immense beauty and deep suffering such as Palestine, Uganda, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Croatia.
Learn more >>

April 2, 2007
Achieving effective outcomes in youth justice
NEW ZEALAND: New research follows outcomes for young people aged 16 years. The data demonstrates that family conferences reduce offending and increase the probability of other positive life outcomes. Restorative practices that include empowerment, the repair of harm and reintegrative outcomes make a positive difference while the extent of embeddedness in the criminal justice system, severe and retributive outcomes and stigmatic shaming have negative effects.
Read more >>

March 25, 2007
The Chowchilla Express offers free transportation to families visiting loved ones in prison
LOS ANGELES, CA: Two buses, carrying 80 family members, Senator Gloria Romero, Sr. Suzanne Jabro and Program Director Eric DeBode, left just after 5:30 a.m. from the Friends Outside Community Center in South Los Angeles. It was a beautiful day for the families and a successful start of a new program to support family reunification.
Read the article >>
Learn about Friends Outside/Los Angeles >>

March 7, 2007
Keeping families and youth connected
SACRAMENTO, CA: It's no secret that kids who stay connected to their families when they are inside are far more successful when they are released. Assemblyman Curren Price has introduced the “Family Connection” bill (AB1300) making "promotion of family ties" part of the Division of Juvenile Justice's core mission. The bill would require that youth be kept near their families when possible, establish a toll-free "Visiting Hotline" for family members to call, and allow families to buy low-cost phone plans for the first time.
Read more >>

March 1, 2007
“I’m sorry” is just the beginning
VIRGINIA: Howard Zehr, co-director of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, provides keen insights into restorative justice on a personal and societal level. “The legislature of Virginia is to be applauded for passing a resolution expressing its profound regret for slavery and for the exploitation of native people. It is a courageous step: it names the wrongs in some detail, expresses regrets and looks to a better future. But regret is only the beginning. A full apology involves another step, a restorative one.”
Read more >>

February 28, 2007
When forgiveness meets justice: Sonoma woman faces the driver who killed her husband
FOLSOM, CA: Patty O’Reilly participated in the first “victim-offender dialogue” in California sponsored by CDCR. Minnesota, Texas and other states have encouraged such dialogues, but California — its prisons beset by crowding and countless other woes — is arriving late to the game.
Read the moving personal story >>

Close the youth prisons in California
SACRAMENTO, CA: Speaker pro Tempore Sally Lieber (D-San Jose) has introduced legislation to eliminate the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), division of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR) that oversees juvenile offenders (AB1655). “The DJJ has failed in its mission to rehabilitate its wards and protect communities. Instead, these facilities serve as training grounds for adult prison life,” said Lieber. The bill proposes to shift youth out of prisons to smaller, community-based facilities that would be administered by counties, not the state prison system. 
Read more >>

January 27, 2007
Bishop Cupich issues statement on capital punishment
RAPID CITY, IA: In the face of manifold threats to the sacredness of human life, our elected representatives are debating the issues of abortion and the death penalty. …The assertion that every human life has an inherent and inalienable value will only be strengthened if we as a state apply this principle to the morality of defending both convicted criminals and the lives of the unborn. “Capital Punishment and Abortion: Do We Promote Life While Imposing Death?” by Bishop Blase Cupich, Diocese of Rapid City, Iowa first appeared as an article in American Magazine. Used with permission.
Read entire statement >>

January 17, 2007
Winooski reparative board helps offenders amend their actions
The city-sponsored Community Justice Center and volunteer reparative board, started by the Winooski Community Police Department in 2000, challenges offenders to make amends with their victims after a crime has been committed.
Read more >>

'Dead Man Walking' author to speak
EUGENE, Ore. — (Jan. 17, 2007) — Sister Helen Prejean, a nationally-known death penalty opponent, will speak about restorative justice during a free public lecture at the University of Oregon School of Law on Friday, Jan. 26.
Read more >>

January 11, 2007
County honors Lindstrom-Bartholomew
GRAYSON COUNTY, VIRGINIA: CountyThe Winnebago County Board recognized Shirley Lindstrom-Bartholomew for nearly 22 years of service to the community Jan. 11.
Read more >>

Plans for New State Prison Invokes Opposition
According to Father Gerry Creedon, who serves as chair of the diocesan Peace and Justice Commission, prison expansion is not remedial nor does it reduce recidivism, the priest said. Recently, Father Creedon wrote a letter to Gov. Timothy Kaine urging him to, “discard the notion of building new prisons…”
Read more >>

January 9, 2007
Town studies program for easing ex-convicts' re-entry
SPRINGFIELD — Released convicts need a safety net too.
It is estimated that half of Vermont's convicts end up back behind bars within three years after their release. The Springfield Restorative Justice Center held a community discussion Monday on how to make a re-entry program work in the shadow of the Southern State Correctional Facility.
Read more >>

January 5, 2007
Kids help kids through new program
Teens are taking part in a new youth court organized by Dixon High School volunteers under the oversight of the Dixon police department. The court is based on the idea of "restorative justice," which focuses on repairing the harm caused to all victims of the crime while giving children ages 10-16 a chance to avoid the traditional justice system and a criminal record.
Read more >>

Radio show to discuss Jersey inmates' issues
Radio talk shows cover just about everything from sports and politics to romance and gardening. Starting tomorrow another topic will hit the airwaves: prison life in New Jersey.
Read more >>

January 4, 2007
New Jersey panel urges abolition of death penalty
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters): New Jersey's death penalty should be abolished because it fails to deter murderers, burdens the state financially and is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency, a legislative panel said on Tuesday. The New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission, set up last year by state lawmakers to assess if capital punishment should be kept, argued the death penalty should be replaced with life imprisonment in a maximum-security jail without parole.
Read more >>

Restorative Justice program needs volunteers
A minimum of 15 volunteers are needed to for the Lakes Area Restorative Justice Project.
Learn more >>

January 3, 2007
Catholic Bishops of New Jersey on the Death Penalty
NEW JERSEY: Statement of Patrick R. Brannigan,Executive Director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference, and the Catholic Bishops of New Jersey on the Findings of the New Jersey Death Penalty Study Commission January 3, 2007.
Read more >>

January 2, 2007
Questioning capital punishment
THE NATION MAGAZINE: In the long, contentious history of capital punishment in America, there has never been a moment like this: Over just a few days in mid-December, judges in California and Maryland and the governor of Florida shut down any pending executions in those states — all because of rapidly growing doubts about the humanity and constitutionality of lethal injection. In less than a week, 1,052 death-row inmates were thrust at least temporarily beyond reach of the needle.
Read the article >>