Episoder
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When Erica Washington was worn down from litigating death penalty cases, a local faith-based coalition introduced her to restorative justice diversion and her career trajectory shifted.
In this episode, Erica explains how her team supports communities across the country as they create pre-charge alternatives to incarceration. She also takes us inside the experience of accompanying participants through a Restorative Community Conferencing process.
Fueled by a desire to create off-ramps from racialized dehumanization in the criminal legal system, Erica believes strongly in the power of transforming pain into purpose — for individuals, communities, and systems.
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Stay connected with Catholic Mobilizing Network and our mission to end the death penalty, advance justice, and begin healing. Join our network at catholicsmobilizing.org
To learn more about how to build a pre-charge restorative justice diversion program, check out EJUSA’s Diversion Toolkit for Communities: restorativejustice.ejusa.org/
Join us for an introductory workshop on restorative justice. These three-hour virtual sessions are held throughout the year. Visit catholicsmobilizing.org/events
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When Mike Butler started as a police officer in Longmont, Colorado, the department and the community were not operating in right relationship with one another. That’s why he began looking for approaches to public safety that would embrace the gifts and talents of all members of the community.
In his 26 years as Chief of Public Safety in Longmont, Mike worked to create community partnerships that were rooted in the principles and practices of restorative justice—and the fruits of this dedication are clear.
Mike joins us on this episode to share how the journey to reimagine public safety in Longmont, CO included taking a hard look at what needed to change within the police department in order to build a culture of mutual responsibility beyond it.
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Stay connected with Catholic Mobilizing Network and our mission to end the death penalty, advance justice, and begin healing. Join our network at catholicsmobilizing.org
You can watch the “How to Love Your Enemy” documentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2zDQ4S4n7I.
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At St. Simon of Cyrene Catholic Parish on the westside of Chicago, restorative practices are a part of everyday parish life—from one-on-one conversations, to addressing conflict and trauma in the community, to organizing for justice and equity.
In this episode, Fr. Larry Dowling joins us to share about how implementing these restorative approaches in his parish community has supported all parishioners, from children and parents, to returning citizens, to the parish council.
By breaking open Scripture and theology, Fr. Larry invites each of us to live into the principles and practices of restorative justice as a way of being Church.
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Stay connected with Catholic Mobilizing Network and our mission to end the death penalty, advance justice, and begin healing. Join our network at catholicsmobilizing.org
Ready to implement restorative practices in your parish or ministry? Check out CMN’s new program, Conversations in Communion: Parish Dialogues for Connection and Understanding at catholicsmobilizing.org/conversations.
Read the blog by Fr. Larry, Courageous Conversations on Race at catholicsmobilizing.org/blog/courageous-conversations-on-race/
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For Ainka Jackson—founding Executive Director of the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation—restorative justice is an actionable way of life that attends to the many forms of violence in her community.
The Selma Center's mission honors the city's legacy as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement and writes a next chapter of racial healing, bridging divides, and building the beloved community.
In this episode, Ainka explains the six principles of nonviolence, and illuminates them through stories of healing and repair within her own community. She invites each of us to answer the call to be ministers of reconciliation, embodying nonviolence as a way of doing so.
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Extraordinarily high mandatory minimum sentences defined many of Mark Osler’s cases as a state prosecutor—that is, until a conversion moment changed the trajectory of his career.
As a prosecutor, legal scholar, and professor, Mark provides a window into the unique role that system actors can play in transforming the legal system from the inside.
In this episode, Mark shares how restorative principles, and his own deep Christian faith, have inspired him to center human dignity, mercy, and redemption in his work on clemency and sentencing reforms.
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Stay connected with Catholic Mobilizing Network and our mission to end the death penalty, advance justice, and begin healing.
Ready to take action to oppose executions and advocate for clemency? Sign up at catholicsmobilizing.org/mercy
Read books written by Mark Osler:
“Prosecuting Jesus”: https://www.pcusastore.com/Products/066426185X/prosecuting-jesus.aspx
“Jesus on Death Row”: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Death-Row-American-Punishment/dp/0687647568
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On this season of the podcast, we’ve been journeying with people impacted by the criminal legal system. This episode reminds us that every one of us is touched by incarceration — sometimes, we only have to look as far as the person in the pew next to us on Sunday.
Chris Hoke, Co-Founder and Director of Underground Ministries joins us to share about their church-based model of accompaniment for people returning from prison: One Parish One Prisoner.
Chris invites each of us to consider how we are called to be resurrection people, prepared to walk with those who are raised from the tombs of incarceration.
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Aswad Thomas is no stranger to the physical and psychological impacts of crime and violence.
His experience as a victim of gun violence led him to his current work with Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice — an organization that centers the voices of those most impacted by crime in the work of finding and creating solutions to it.
In this episode, Aswad highlights a key tenet of restorative justice: that responses to harm should always be victim-centered. He also shares about victims’ rights and services, and how we can support a reality where the response to harm and crime is one that is rooted in safety for all.
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According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 1.2 million people are incarcerated in the U.S. right now. For 27 years, Felix Rosado was one of those individuals.
At the age of 18, Felix was told he would die in prison as punishment for the crime he committed — but the criminal legal system did nothing to ask him to reckon with the consequences of his actions, or make steps towards repair.
In this episode, Felix shares how returning to his Catholic faith and learning about restorative justice set him on a journey of taking true accountability, transforming his life, and ultimately gaining his freedom.
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Stay connected with Catholic Mobilizing Network and our mission to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice.
Sign up to get our emails at catholicsmobilizing.org/join
Resources from this episode:
Watch Felix’s 4-minute mini-doc: youtu.be/xFkal1XvDmk?si=RE0rB3JlBcOa_GPgRead “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice” from the USCCB: www.usccb.org/resources/responsibility-rehabilitation-and-restoration-catholic-perspective-crime-and-criminalRead “Fratelli Tutti”: www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20201003_enciclica-fratelli-tutti.htmlRead “Transcending: Reflections Of Crime Victims” by Howard Zehr: www.amazon.com/Transcending-Reflections-Victims-Howard-Zehr/dp/1561483338Bureau of Justice Statistics: bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/prisons-report-series-preliminary-data-release
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Andrea’s youngest daughter was just a toddler when her father was struck on his bicycle by an intoxicated driver.
Learning to process the grief of his death was something this family had spent most of their lives doing. But 15 years later, that journey took a big step forward when Andrea’s daughter asked to “meet the man that killed Daddy.”
In this episode, Andrea joins us to share what it was like to participate in a restorative process with the man who caused her husband's death, and how she continues to live out her journey of healing and forgiveness.
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Stay connected with Catholic Mobilizing Network and our mission to end the death penalty and promote restorative justice.
Sign up to get our emails at catholicsmobilizing.org/join
Ready to learn more about restorative justice? Register to attend an upcoming Intro to RJ workshop at catholicsmobilizing.org/intro-rj
To hear more stories like Andrea's, sign up for our blog at catholicsmobilizing.org/blog
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For Fr. Dustin Feddon, the practice of being present with people who are currently and formerly incarcerated is a restorative act — a witness to the dignity of each person and the hope of redemption.
In this episode, Fr. Dustin takes us inside solitary confinement and death row in Florida, places where so few people are allowed to visit, and gives a glimpse into the interior lives of men living, and dying, there. He also shares about how these experiences inspired him to found Joseph House, a community of formerly incarcerated people.
Throughout our conversation, Fr. Dustin recalls how he first came to learn about restorative justice and how it continues to shape his parish and community-based ministries.
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Encounters With Dignity is back for its second season — and we can't wait to share it with you.
Host Caitlin Morneau, Director of Restorative Justice at Catholic Mobilizing Network, offers a sneak peek into this new season which will take a close look at the U.S. criminal legal system through the eyes of those most profoundly impacted by it.
Tune in for new episodes coming January 2024! You won't want to miss it.
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The season of Advent is a time for looking inward — a time to take stock of where we are in our faith journeys and our relationships with God and neighbor.
Those of us at Catholic Mobilizing Network — who’ve been working behind the scenes to bring you Encounters With Dignity — have been looking inward too. As we conclude Advent and move into a New Year, we will begin a process of exploring what the future holds for this podcast.
In the meantime, our podcast host, Caitlin Morneau, has some ideas for how you can continue learning about restorative justice and discerning ways to bring restorative practices to your community. And when we are ready to announce “what’s next” for Encounters With Dignity, she’d like you to be the first to know.
Tune in to hear how you can stay engaged in this transformative work, and join CMN via email at catholicsmobilizing.org/join.
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Throughout this first season of Encounters With Dignity we have heard many stories about how restorative justice can be used in response to harm or injustice. These examples have taken us through the criminal legal system, the education system, and even Indigenous communities grappling with multi-generational harms.
But restorative justice need not be limited to only those times where a rule or law was broken. Restorative justice can be part of our everyday — a way of being, a way of living.
In this episode, we hear three wise teachers discuss how we all can live restoratively in every aspect of our lives.
Dr. Desireé Anderson, Fr. Jeff Putthoff, and Jerry Tello discuss the importance of community building, self-care, and honoring our cultural histories as just a few stepping stones toward living a restorative life.
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It can be tempting to think about restorative practices as something that we do. More broadly, restorative justice is about how we are in relationship with one another — as individuals, yes, but also as institutions.
At a university, this can include addressing conduct violations, but also community building and classroom environment. Dr. David Karp and Christian Santa Maria are putting restorative practices to work on their Catholic college campus in each of these situations.
In this episode, they share how restorative practices are taking shape at the University of San Diego in alignment with their university’s mission and Catholic identity.
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Tragedy struck for two families when Ann Grosmaire was shot by her fiancé, Conor McBride. In the wake of her death, Ann's parents were moved to forgiveness through their Catholic faith.
All harm — and especially a death like this — impacts more than just the victim alone. The Grosmaires, McBrides, and their whole community lost two cherished young adults the day Ann was shot. Justice would not be found without including each of these involved parties in a healing process.
In this episode, Kate and Deacon Andy Grosmaire, Julie and Michael McBride, and their facilitator sujatha baliga share the story of their restorative justice circle that shaped Conor's sentencing.
Their testimony is witness to the possibilities of a justice centered in restoring relationships and creating opportunities for healing.
Kate tells this full story in her book, Forgiving My Daughter's Killer: A True Story of Loss, Faith, and Unexpected Grace.
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Too often as a society we are quick to judge, cast-out, and ostracize members of our community. At Homeboy Industries, Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. has built a culture of radical compassion and kinship, welcoming every person in their wholeness.
In this episode you'll hear Fr. Greg share stories of walking with formerly gang-involved and incarcerated individuals as they seek healing, growth, and reintegration with their community.
The work of Fr. Greg and Homeboy Industries is inherently restorative — respecting the dignity of all and working together to repair the effects of harm.
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Maka Black Elk and Deacon Andy Orosco intimately understand the impacts of the historical harm that has been inflicted on Native communities.
In this episode, Maka and Deacon Andy will discuss the history of the Catholic Church and Native American boarding schools, the resulting harm these schools caused in their community, and the restorative approaches they are implementing to work towards healing.
These Catholic Indigenous leaders illuminate how restorative justice paves a way of healing from intergenerational trauma — for all of us.
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Danielle Sered knows what it looks like for a person to be accountable for the harm they caused. She's spent more than a decade facilitating restorative justice solutions to violent crimes through her organization, Common Justice (plus she identifies as a crime survivor herself).
In this episode, Danielle explains why accountability is so important to a restorative justice approach, where it is often missing from our criminal legal processes, and how it is rooted in human dignity.
Her insights invite people of faith to discern where accountability can play a deeper role in our own lives — in our relationships with God and neighbor alike.
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It's not hard to see ourselves in the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. At different times in our lives, we've likely identified with each of the parable's characters — the wounded traveler, the robber, the unconcerned passerby, and the Good Samaritan himself.
In this episode, Most Rev. Robert McElroy, Ordinary Bishop of San Diego, challenges us to sink into these ever-shifting identities, and to find within them "a new generosity of heart, rejection of judgmentalism, and thirst for reconciliation within our own lives and that of our society as a whole."
To learn more about restorative justice, visit Catholic Mobilizing Network's website at catholicsmobilizing.org.
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After 29 years of incarceration, Ernie Garcia shares his journey from a childhood where violence was the norm toward his ultimate transformation and reintegration with his community.
Ernie talks about how his faith played a pivotal role in helping him understand his traumas, take responsibility for his harmful actions, and commit to making things as right as possible. His story is a powerful testament to the inner, spiritual work of restorative justice, and how reliance on God can lead us to break destructive cycles of harm and violence.
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