PEACE AND JUSTICE

Restorative Justice

“I have seen his ways and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners.” (Isaiah 57:18)
 
“Our response to crime in the United States is a moral test for our nation and a challenge for our Church.” (Restorative Justice Statement, p. 1)
 
What is Restorative Justice?
Restorative is a comprehensive approach to addressing crime, which recognizes that the criminal justice system must incorporate the victims, offenders, and the communities in a restorative effort while focusing on the injuries, needs, and responsibilities of those involved in a given criminal situation. There are three fundamental principles of any true restorative justice perspective:

1. Crimes injure victims, communities, and offenders. Thus there is a place for restitution, accountability, and forgiveness;
2. Therefore, not only government, by also victims, offenders, and communities must be involved in the solution process. Thus there is a place for personal responsibility and redemption;
3. In this process, government is responsible to preserve order while the community is responsible to create peace. Thus, there is a place for discipline, fairness, and reconciliation.

This approach, based on the Judeo-Christian Tradition, is different form the approach currently in place in our society thorough its criminal justice system and seeks to promote restoration, making whole, and not only to punish; it seeks to find solution, not only to find guilt.
 
The Restorative/Criminal Justice Ministry has a Diocesan Steering Committee and fosters the organization of Restorative/Criminal Justice Ministry Teams in the parishes within the diocese.