What is the purpose of this Network’s ministry? Lead inmates and their family members to Christ and/or strengthen their faith and to show the love of Christ to this population by ministry of the word and by responding to the needs resulting from the incarceration of a family member; 2) assist offenders transition successfully into civil society; 3)similarly serve victims of crime spiritually and physically, assisting the healing process; and, 4) minister to and publicly recognize the service of correctional and law enforcement officers.
What is the structure of this Network? The network is basically a committee of lay and clergy, male and female, nominated by the bishop’s the 12 Dioceses of Province VII. The network chair calls the committee together annually and communicates by email and phone between meetings to gather information and stimulate initiatives within the dioceses.
What is currently happening in this network? The RJ and PM Network is currently planning a conference in Woodville Texas (northeast of Houston) with the Restorative Justice Ministries Family Service Center to examine Biblical Peacemaking. The one day conference will appeal to churches experiencing conflict and prison ministries attempting to present a means of peacemaking to inmate communities. The fracturing of both free world and offender world churches over doctrine, leadership selection, location of worship and type of music rarely are effectively dealt with. This one day workshop, scheduled for October 11, 2008, presents the biblical way of resolving conflict and maintaining relationships.
At Synod in Oklahoma City in September, directors of camps for children of offenders will meet and exchange information about their programs and consider creating a common web page where information and applications for the camps may be downloaded by parents and guardians.
In the past year, the network chair has visited two diocesan councils. In both cases, information about Province VII Restorative Justice and Prison Ministry Network was disseminated. Visits are scheduled for 2008-09 in additional dioceses.
For further information contact Ed Davis, Network Chair at edsalpc@yahoo.com or 936-291-3153.
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Statistics
• New High In U.S. Prison Numbers: Growth Attributed To More Stringent Sentencing Laws
(Washington Post)
With more than 2.3 million people behind bars, the United States leads the world in both the number and percentage of residents it incarcerates, leaving far-more-populous China a distant second, according to a study by the nonpartisan Pew Center on the States.
• In 2005, over 7 million people were under some form of correctional supervision including prison, probation, parole, jail. (Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Correctional Surveys)
• In 2007, 42 persons in 10 States were executed -- 26 in Texas; 3 each in Alabama and Oklahoma; 2 each in Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee; and 1 each in South Dakota, Georgia, South Carolina, and Arizona.
Of persons executed in 2007:
-- 28 were white
-- 14 were black
(Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics)
• "Stars and stripes: the G.I.'s uniform, sewn with conviction" (a Harper's magazine article on the Federal Prison Industries)
Download article 
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Restorative Justice is a system of justice brought back to life from ancient times in the past 30 years as an alternative or complementary approach to crime. It is practiced in all of Western Europe and much of Eastern Europe, Australia, New Zeeland, Canada, parts of southern North America, South America and increasingly in the United States. Its roots are Biblical. The impetus for it is two-fold: recognition that punitive based systems utterly fail to achieve the purpose of breaking the cycle of crime and, realization that current criminal justice procedures largely exclude the victim from the judicial process and fail to address the harms done to the victims and community. Furthermore, plea bargaining and rules of procedure allow offenders to escape their responsibility of owning up to their behavior and the obligation to repair the damage that they have done.
In restorative justice, the offender is confronted by the victim and victim’s family or surrogate victims and told of the effect of the crime on their lives. Members of the community are also present and participate in educating the offender. The offender is present to answer victim and community questions and participate in formulating an agreement with them outlining the conditions he/she must meet to restore the community and victim to the extent possible. Restitution is always an expectation. Conditions agreed to by the parties are enforced by the court. Failure to meet obligations may result in court imposed sanctions including incarceration. |
Healing and reconciliation are central to restorative justice. The crime victim has been traumatized by crime and may be in need of psychological, medical, social, and material support. Restorative justice places the needs of victims (primary and secondary) above all else. The community, largely neutralized by modern criminal justice practice, is brought back into the of the insecurity caused by crime and the power of community expectations in controlling behavior. The offender is placed in the position of having to see the harm s/he has caused and receive the admonishment of family, neighbors, and peers. The legitimacy of the conditions he/she must meet to “make it right” to the victim and community is enhanced by his/her participation in drafting the written and enforceable agreement.
Evidence indicates that all participants in the restorative processes have much higher satisfaction rates that those who are involved in the standard criminal justice process. Higher satisfactions stems from the fact that victims and community are not marginalized by the process, but rather empowered. All parties consider the process fairer than standard judicial process. Evidence is also emerging that recidivism rates of those involved in restorative justice are lower than in the current justice process.
Reconciliation and forgiveness are not formally expectations of restorative justice, but one or both frequently occur.
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"Changing Lives: Behind the Walls at Angola"
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This 2006 documentary features the ministry of Episcopal Deacon Charles DeGravelles, and the ministries shared by several men incarcerated in the penitentiary. The documentary was produced by Mike Collins in the Office of Communication at the Episcopal Church Center.
The DVD is available for $15 from Episcopal Books and Resources.
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A Bible Study on Restorative Justice |
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Since restorative justice is rooted in primary biblical themes of Jubilee economics, Shalom justice, Sermon on the Mount ethics, and the vision and ultimate reality of God’s reconciliation and restoration of all things, persons, and peoples to Godself and to one another, the Church’s Office of Prison Ministry offers this series of readings, prayers, and reflections as a Bible study. We believe that it is useful at any time in the Christian year More |
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Kairos Prison Ministry International, Inc. is the parent organization of a body of ministries addressing the spiritual needs of incarcerated men, women and children, to their families and to those who work in the prison environment.
Kairos is a ministry of the church ... a ministry of the apostles whom Jesus, the Christ, has called into community and sent forth into the environment of the correctional institution. Kairos has been called the best example of the early church in existence today. More |
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Inside Out Online Magazine |
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People committed to the cause of transforming prisoners need a reliable source of information and inspiration. To that end, Prison Fellowship has launched a new online magazine, Inside Out.
Inside Out provides feature length articles of transformed lives, reviews, testimonials, resource lists, and news about prison ministry and Prison Fellowship. IO will cover restorative justice with a true insider. There will be reviews on some of the best sources out there from books to programs. IO will walk you through the experience of prison ministry as well as how to get involved and hear from veterans who pass on their valuable tradecraft gained over years of frontline practice. More
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PFM, consisting of its prison ministry, Prison Fellowship, and its Christian worldview ministry, BreakPoint, seeks to transform lives, minds, and communities through Jesus Christ.
Born out of the Watergate crisis, PFM was founded by Charles W. Colson in 1976 as “Prison Fellowship.” During Watergate, Colson’s life was changed forever when he accepted Christ as Savior. After his incarceration for a Watergate-related offense, Colson was moved to share with prisoners the very faith that sustained him during his incarceration. Within a few short years, Prison Fellowship had become the world’s largest Christian ministry to prisoners and their families. More |
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A Resource Directory on Restorative Justice
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I. Books
Burton-Rose, Daniel, ed. with Dan Pens and Paul Wright. The Celling of America: An Inside Look at the U. S. Prison Industry. Monroe, Maine: Common Courage Press, 1998.
Christie, Nils. Crime Control as Industry: Towards Gulags Western Style?. New York: Routledge, 1993.
Galaway, Burt and Joe Hudson, eds. Restoring Justice: International Perspectives. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press, 1996.
Griffith, Lee. The Fall of the Prison: Biblical Perspectives on Prison Abolition. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1993.
Lampman, Lisa Barnes, ed. with Michelle D. Shattuck, assoc. ed. God and the Victim: Theological Reflections on Evil, Victimization, Justice, and Forgiveness. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999.
Mackey, Virginia.Restorative Justice: Toward Nonviolence (Louisville: Presbyterian Church (USA), 1997)
Mokhiber, Russell and Robert Weissman. Corporate Predators: The Hunt for Mega-Profits and the Attack on Democracy. Monroe, ME.: Common Courage Press, 1999.
Prejean, Helen. Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. New York: Vintage Books, 1993.
Reiman, Jeffrey. The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class and Criminal Justice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
Snyder, T. Richard. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Punishment. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: 2001.
Stern, Vivien. A Sin Against the Future: Imprisonment in the World. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1998.
Sullivan, Dennis and Larry Tifft, Restorative Justice: Healing the Foundations of Our Everyday Lives (Monsey, NY: Willow Tree Press, 2001)
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Tutu, Desmond. No Future Without Forgiveness. New York: Doubleday, 1999.
Wray, Harmon L. with Peggy Hutchison. Restorative Justice: Moving Beyond Punishment (New York, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church, 2002)
Zehr, Howard. Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1995.
II. Videotapes
Cool Hand Luke. 127 minutes. Gordon Carroll, Producer. Stuart Rosenberg, Director. Warner Brothers. 1967.
Corrections. 58 minutes. Ashley Hunt and Jonas Hudson, Producers. Ashley Hunt, Director. Info_corrections@yahoo.com, 718-791-5500. 2000.
Dead Man Walking. 122 minutes. Tim Robbins, Director. 1996.
The Farm: Life Inside Angola Prison. 100 minutes. Jonathan Stack & Liz Garbus, Producers & Directors. Michael Cascio, Executive Producer. Gabriel Films for A&E Network. 1998.
Restoring Justice. 51 minutes. Produced for the National Council of Churches of Christ by the Presbyterian Church (USA), 100 Witherspoon St., Louisville, KY. 40202-1396. 1996.
The Shawshank Redemption. 142 minutes. Liz Glotzer & David Lester, Executive Producers. Frank Darabont, Director. Castle Rock Entertainment. 1994.
Yes, In My Background. 57 minutes. Tracy Huling, Producer, in association with WSKG Public Broadcasting. Galloping Girls Productions, Inc., RR 1, Box 168, Freehold, NY 12431.
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