Restorative Justice

Learn More about Restorative Justice

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What is Restorative Justice?

Visit RestoreJustice.com

Introduction to the
US Bishops' Statement
Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration

Read the Bishops' Statement

Restorative Justice Directors

Click here for a listing of Restorative Justice Directors in California.

Learn More About the Death Penalty

What every Catholic should know about the death penalty.

Catholic Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty

Summary of Catholic Social Teaching on Life Issues

Social Teaching

Chaplain Resources

Catholic Chaplain Principles

Catholic Chaplain Job Description

Chaplain Job Application Links & Information

Roster of Catholic Chaplains
Serving in State Facilities

Mass for Victims of Violent Crimes

Guidelines for Letter Writing

Prison Facts

Interesting facts about California State Prisons.

Restorative Justice

Chaplains Proposed Role in Lethal Injections Called into Doubt

At a hearing on the revised lethal injection protocols, speakers from around the state largely denounced the new execution procedures and voiced opposition to the death penalty in general. Only a handful of speakers spoke in support.

Fr. George Horan, co-director of the Office of Restorative Justice for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and a chaplain at LA County's Men's Central Jail, questioned the requirement that a chaplain report the details of conversations with the condemned.

"Chaplains are there to be a loving and compassionate presence for those in prison," explained Fr. Horan. "They are not trained physiologists or part of the prison staff able to evaluate how something revealed in a conversation might be pertinent to the execution."

Head Chaplain, Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
at the Department of Homeland Security’s El Centro Immigration Detention Center in California
State chaplain job application form. (Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on View/Download the Application and Instructions.)
State Application Instructions for filling out the form
State Application in Adobe Acrobat format
Link to CDCR’s Open Spot (Vacancy) Announcement: - includes salary info.
Link to State Catholic Chaplain Job Specifications

Abolishing the Death Penalty: Moving Beyond Fear and Rage

Commentary by Rev. Michael Carson

death-chamber If any California institution was totally ineffective, cost millions of dollars without benefit and had a less expensive alternative, one might think we would at least consider eliminating it.

All these criteria describe the death penalty. So why do we still have the death penalty in California?

I have been doing anti-death penalty work since before ordination. At first, I would come ready to debate with facts, figures, studies, Church documents and moral statements. However, the only question consistently asked is, what would I do if my mother or sister were murdered? Would I not want the death penalty?

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