To church leaders
To families of the wounded
To families of offenders
To those who minister

The concept of Restorative Justice includes a specific process of dealing with crime and punishment in society for criminal justice professionals, offenders and victims.  It is a centuries old concept dating back to early church and societal teaching.  A more complete definition and the basic principles of restorative justice, can be found in our resources section.

 “I believe restorative justice is a way of returning men to society in a meaningful way.  I’ve heard it said that one of the ways of looking at restorative justice is taking soil and turning it over to restore that soil so that something can grow, and I like that concept because it talks about how we can work with men to help them change.”

- Deacon George Salinger
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To church leaders…
• Restorative justice is about making everyone involved in crime whole again—victims, perpetrators, and the community. The U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Statement talks about responsibility, rehabilitation and restoration.
   The perpetrator has to take responsibility for their actions. Society also has a responsibility to try to restore the victim and the perpetrator. For perpetrators, rehabilitation means attending to addictions, unemployment and poverty, or the lack of a moral or ethical base in the person.
   For victims, restoration includes reestablishing safety, repairing injuries and repairing damaged relationships.
   The challenge of the Gospel message of forgiveness for victims is that’s where the healing happens. A person who offends also has to have the grace and the capacity to ask for forgiveness. When these two things meet we have restoration.
   It’s a messy process. But the alternative is fear, hatred and divisiveness. The alternative is worse. It means the continual loss of human life.

—Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala of Los Angeles

• We are our brother’s and sister’s keeper for all of God’s family—in Christian solidarity. Because of that we're to work for justice at every level of our life together and in society.
Parishes can help victims of crime to heal. The local church is to stand with families that have been victimized in any way and to respond to their needs.
   Restorative Justice also means finding ways to heal the perpetrators of crime. During my visits to seven prisons in the Diocese of Sacramento I have found that perpetrators are seeking spiritual healing for wounds that are very hard to heal -- wounds from childhood and difficult situations that led them towards committing crimes. They seek healing that is holistic.

-- Auxiliary Bishop Richard Garcia of Sacramento
The U.S. Bishops’ statement, "A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death," also invites every Catholic to join the campaign to end the use of the death penalty.
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• Below are a series of pastoral statements by Catholic Bishops of the South on the Criminal Justice process and a gospel response.

Challenges for the Criminal Justice Process in the South >>
Wardens from Wall Street: Prison Privatization >>
"Suffer the Little Children..." Juvenile Justice in the South >>
"I have come to heal..." Restorative Justice >>
Catholic Committee of the South Criminal Justice Pastoral: Prison
Conditions >>
Catholic Committee of the South Criminal Justice Pastoral >>
Women in Prison >>

To families of the wounded…
• The term restorative justice is tricky because the word “restore” means to bring back to its original state, and in our case that can never be. We will not be restored until we meet our child again in heaven. However, there are many ways of helping us heal while we are still on earth.
   Helping survivors and family members through the legal system is critical.  Another is ensuring that our emotional and physical well-being is met. So is addressing victims’ spiritual needs. And finding ways to bring us all closer rather than separating us by the stigma of violence.
   People expect you to get over the death of your loved one as quickly as possible and to move on with your life. But victims need understanding, compassion and to know people care what happened to you and your family. This would be as close to getting “restorative justice” as possible.

—Judy Gibson, mother of a son killed by gang violence
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• Howard Zehr once said, “If crime is a wound, justice should be healing,” and simply put, the church defines “justice” as the “right order of relationships.” It is a tremendous honor and obligation to bring people into “right” relationship with others, and to heal the wounded in our midst.
   A balanced approach to justice empowers crime victims and survivors by providing for their physical and emotional care (safety, counseling, medical and funeral expenses, etc.), ensuring obligations created by the offender are met (restitution collection, notification, input into sentencing, offender programming, mediation and dialogue, release, etc.), and requiring communities to participate in healthy reintegration (employment, training, housing, counseling, monitoring, community service, etc.).
   Restorative justice is not a “soft” approach, by any means, as it requires everyone impacted by crime (all of us) to come together to “make right” as best as possible, and to create opportunities for healing.

—Suzanne Neuhaus, victim services specialist,
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
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To families of offenders...
• The criminal justice system fails to deal with the heart of a crime—the disruption of a whole constellation of relationships. The ripple of pain that goes out through the community never heals. An opportunity for restorative justice needs to be part of the system. 
   I was so hurt and frustrated with my inability—because of the legal process—to reach out to the victim’s family.
    Two and a half years after my son went to prison for second degree murder, I contacted the mother of the victim through the victim witness coordinator. She agreed to meet me. I told her that I had felt her anguish from the bottom of my soul across that courtroom, that I was horrified by what had happened. After that meeting with her, I felt liberated. I pray for her and hope our meeting helped her too.

—Marci C., mother of a son in prison
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• I served five years and five months for having committed a home invasion. I had no idea what I was doing due to my Methamphetamine addiction. The offense was brutal and absolutely, totally unnecessary. My marriage fell apart and I lost my children. I created a big mess, because I didn’t want to cope. During my prison sentencing, I apologized to the victims of my crime. While I was in prison working my 12 steps and going to AA meetings, I wrote another letter of apology which the family accepted. It didn’t make it easier, but I felt better that they accepted my apology. I’ve been out 14 months and I work as a case manager for other women on parole. I talk to my children every week. People who care tell me not to give up, to stay focused and to believe in myself. They’ve taught me I’m worthwhile.

—Maritza Sorrentino, formerly incarcerated in a California prison
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• Jesus’ life was about healing people—physically, emotionally, spiritually. Restorative justice is about healing. Who is hurt? What do they need? How can they be healed? 
   These questions are radically different than what our current retributive justice system asks. What happened? Who did it? What punishment should be given?
    Most women in prison are there for non-violent drug related offenses. Women are anesthetizing themselves from past sexual and physical abuse. They need therapy and drug counseling.
    Children have a right to see, touch and talk to their mothers, even if they are in prison. Most children can't get to a prison four hours from home. That’s why we started the “Get on the Bus.” It is not enough.
   Women need to live closer to their children in therapeutic communities where the whole family has a chance for healing.  Truly, this would be restorative—a Jesus strategy for sure.

—Suzanne Jabro, C.S.J., executive director of
Women & Criminal Justice and Get on the Bus

Read real stories from real people >>
Learn about justice for offenders >>
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To those who minister …
• Restorative justice is looking at all of us as family. Obviously, there’s a major break in the family of God when someone does violence to someone else. We can decide to ostracize that person and say they’re no longer part of our family. Or we can work to heal the wounds and bring the family back together.
   Restorative justice is about building a system that makes the community whole again, rather than our current justice system, which separates folks and allows victims to carry the burden of hatred and hurt.
   Offenders are held accountable for their actions when they face their victim and hear what their action did to this person and how it affected their life. 
   Christ’s message is about healing and forgiveness. The process of forgiveness is best facilitated by communication between the person who was offended and the person who offended.

—Father George Horan, co-director of the Office of
Restorative Justice for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
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• Restorative justice understands that the victim and the offender are interconnected. Deep pain brings with it an invitation for healing. That’s possible when a community of faith supports both victim and offender.
   At Dolores Mission Church, the community is the sponge -- the place where people come and listen to each other’s stories. During our healing Masses, parents whose kids are incarcerated listen to parents who lost children to violence, and vice versa. People who have been victims of violent offenses and people who have spent time in prison also share their stories. We’re connecting all the dots around the circle.
   The people in our neighborhood who are victims of violence are connected to lots of other families whose kids are spending their lives in prison. To be hateful and vindictive would be the worse thing for their healing. Restorative justice creates healing relationships among victims, offenders and the community.

—Jesuit Father Mike Kennedy, pastor of
 Dolores Mission Church in Los Angeles
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• Restorative Justice means showing love and fairness to all people impacted by a crime – starting with the victims and their families – but also extending to those who commit the crime.  Those rightfully convicted must face the consequences of their actions, but that doesn’t mean being deprived of their dignity. All too often, the penal system today does just that. The system can deprive people of liberty, but it doesn’t have to deprive them of their humanity. They have basic human rights due to them by the fact that they are people.
   As Christians we want to help victims cope with the harm against them and those who perpetrated the crime undergo a legitimate conversion, which means respect for others and an understanding and appreciation of what they have done. We want to give everyone involved in the process hope, even criminals. God still loves them and they remain human.

—Steve Pehanich, executive director of
Catholic Charities of California

Read real stories from real people >>
Learn about justice ministries >>
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