The Office of Restorative Justice is the new name for what was formerly the archdiocesan Office of Detention Ministry.

The name change reflects a growing commitment to minister to all people affected by crime and by the criminal justice system, said office co-directors Father George Horan and Javier Stauring.

Detention Ministry implied ministry to those in prison, but in the last several years the office has expanded its outreach to victims of violent crime, family members of victims, families of those incarcerated and parolees.

"There's a biblical call to restore and heal the community and bring back wholeness," said Father Horan. "Our current justice system further separates the community. The end of violence and the end of crime is what we all want, but we pit one group against another and work against each other. If we're really going to stop crime, we have to work together for the common good."

The office had started moving in the direction of whole-community ministry, in part, following the U.S. bishops' 2000 pastoral letter, "Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice," which urged a new national dialogue on restoring justice and healing in communities affected by crime.

Father Horan said the justice system generally asks: What crime was committed? Who did it? And, what punishment should they receive? Restorative justice, he said, begins by asking different questions: Who was harmed by this crime? What needs to be done to promote healing? Who will respond to those needs?

The offender is held accountable for their crime, said Father Horan, and for making restitution, rather than hiding behind an adversarial legal system in which offenders vigorously deny their wrongdoing and can never say the words victims say they long to hear: "I'm sorry."

It's not easy bringing change and a new vision to a complex legal system, admitted Stauring. He said one of the most difficult challenges of restorative justice ministry is the continual bumping up against the "us and them" model. If the ministry advocates for the incarcerated, people assume the needs of the victims are being neglected in some way. If the ministry advocates for the victim, others assume that means harsher penalties for offenders, he said.

"The system doesn't adequately respond to the emotional and spiritual needs of people," said Stauring. "It's just 'us.' There is no 'us and them.'"

To try and be the change one hopes to see in the community, the Office of Restorative Justice recently created a pilot program through the Pasadena courts in which judges and the district attorney will refer pending cases for mediation. Mediators trained by the archdiocese through the "Victim Offender Reconciliation Program" will sit with victim and offender and work on coming to an agreement about what needs to be done to make restitution. Crimes might include graffiti, bike theft or a broken window. Father Horan hopes that with success more serious crimes can be mediated.

New to the Restorative Justice staff is Elo Carrillo, coordinator of Victim Ministry. Carrillo will advocate on behalf of victims and their families and facilitate access to victim resources through local, county, state and federal programs for survivors of violent crime. She will also refer people to non-profits and support groups for counseling.

Carrillo said her hope is that "through different services --- governmental, psychological and spiritual --- we can provide healing for victims of violent crime," said Carrillo.

The department is forging ahead with its vision of restorative justice despite archdiocesan layoffs two years ago that reduced the staff from 24 full-time ministers to 12. Let go were chaplains at various detention facilities, the coordinator of volunteers, and a legislative advocate. Through grants and other funding five positions have been restored, and a new development committee is seeking to raise $500,000 to fully restore the department.

Editor's note: For more information about the Office of Restorative Justice, call (213) 637-7649.