Crime victims and survivors. Men and women in prison for unlawful behavior. Hurting families on both sides. Wounded communities.

A new website launched by the California Catholic Conference --- www.restorejustice.com --- has boldly put the real stories of crime victims, offenders and their families on the same site. Backed by the support of the state's bishops, the site was created with an eye toward promoting "restorative justice" -- a holistic approach to offering healing and support to everyone affected by crime and the criminal justice system.

Funded by a grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the site also lists scores of resources --- counseling and financial support for crime victims and survivors, alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs, domestic violence legal clinics, counseling for batterers, resources for children of incarcerated parents, support for prison chaplains and more.

"I hope people who come to the site and look at it, if they are victims of crime, might be curious about what's there for offenders, too," said Debbie McDermott, the website's general editor. "They might recognize similarities in their pain."

---Ellie Hidalgo

The following perspectives on what restorative justice means are reprinted from the web site.

The term restorative justice is tricky because the word "restore" means to bring back to its original state, and in our case that can never be. We will not be restored until we meet our child again in heaven. However, there are many ways of helping us heal while we are still on earth.

Helping survivors and family members through the legal system is critical. Another is ensuring that our emotional and physical well-being is met. So is addressing victims' spiritual needs. And finding ways to bring us all closer rather than separating us by the stigma of violence.

People expect you to get over the death of your loved one as quickly as possible and to move on with your life. But victims need understanding, compassion and to know people care what happened to you and your family. This would be as close to getting "restorative justice" as possible.

- Judy Gibson, mother of a son killed by gang violence

The criminal justice system fails to deal with the heart of a crime-the disruption of a whole constellation of relationships. The ripple of pain that goes out through the community never heals. An opportunity for restorative justice needs to be part of the system.

I was so hurt and frustrated with my inability --- because of the legal process --- to reach out to the victim's family.

Two and a half years after my son went to prison for second degree murder, I contacted the mother of the victim through the victim witness coordinator. She agreed to meet me. I told her that I had felt her anguish from the bottom of my soul across that courtroom, that I was horrified by what had happened. After that meeting with her, I felt liberated. I pray for her and hope our meeting helped her too.

- Marci C., mother of a son in prison

I served five years and five months for having committed a home invasion. I had no idea what I was doing due to my Methamphetamine addiction. The offense was brutal and absolutely, totally unnecessary. My marriage fell apart and I lost my children. I created a big mess, because I didn't want to cope.

During my prison sentencing, I apologized to the victims of my crime. While I was in prison working my 12 steps and going to AA meetings, I wrote another letter of apology which the family accepted. It didn't make it easier, but I felt better that they accepted my apology.

I've been out 14 months and I work as a case manager for other women on parole. I talk to my children every week. People who care tell me not to give up, to stay focused and to believe in myself. They've taught me I'm worthwhile.

- Maritza Sorrentino, formerly incarcerated in a California prison

Jesus' life was about healing people --- physically, emotionally, spiritually. Restorative justice is about healing. Who is hurt? What do they need? How can they be healed?

These questions are radically different than what our current retributive justice system asks. What happened? Who did it? What punishment should be given?

Most women in prison are there for non-violent drug related offenses. Women are anesthetizing themselves from past sexual and physical abuse. They need therapy and drug counseling.

Children have a right to see, touch and talk to their mothers, even if they are in prison. Most children can't get to a prison four hours from home. That's why we started the "Get on the Bus." It is not enough.

Women need to live closer to their children in therapeutic communities where the whole family has a chance for healing. Truly, this would be restorative --- a Jesus strategy for sure.

-Suzanne Jabro, CSJ, executive director of Women & Criminal Justice and Get on the Bus

Author Howard Zehr once said, "If crime is a wound, justice should be healing," and simply put, the church defines "justice" as the "right order of relationships." It is a tremendous honor and obligation to bring people into "right" relationship with others, and to heal the wounded in our midst.

A balanced approach to justice empowers crime victims and survivors by providing for their physical and emotional care (safety, counseling, medical and funeral expenses, etc.), ensuring obligations created by the offender are met (restitution collection, notification, input into sentencing, offender programming, mediation and dialogue, release, etc.), and requiring communities to participate in healthy reintegration (employment, training, housing, counseling, monitoring, community service, etc.).

Restorative justice is not a "soft" approach, by any means, as it requires everyone impacted by crime (all of us) to come together to "make right" as best as possible, and to create opportunities for healing.

- Suzanne Neuhaus, victim services specialist, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Restorative justice understands that the victim and the offender are interconnected. Deep pain brings with it an invitation for healing. That's possible when a community of faith supports both victim and offender.

At Dolores Mission Church, the community is the sponge --- the place where people come and listen to each other's stories. During our healing Masses, parents whose kids are incarcerated listen to parents who lost children to violence, and vice versa. People who have been victims of violent offenses and people who have spent time in prison also share their stories. We're connecting all the dots around the circle.

The people in our neighborhood who are victims of violence are connected to lots of other families whose kids are spending their lives in prison. To be hateful and vindictive would be the worse thing for their healing. Restorative justice creates healing relationships among victims, offenders and the community.

- Jesuit Father Mike Kennedy, pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Los Angeles

Restorative justice is looking at all of us as family. Obviously, there's a major break in the family of God when someone does violence to someone else. We can decide to ostracize that person and say they're no longer part of our family. Or we can work to heal the wounds and bring the family back together.

Restorative justice is about building a system that makes the community whole again, rather than our current justice system, which separates folks and allows victims to carry the burden of hatred and hurt.

Offenders are held accountable for their actions when they face their victim and hear what their action did to this person and how it affected their life.

Christ's message is about healing and forgiveness. The process of forgiveness is best facilitated by communication between the person who was offended and the person who offended.

- Father George Horan, co-director of the Office of Restorative Justice, Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Restorative justice is about making everyone involved in crime whole again --- victims, perpetrators, and the community. The U.S. Catholic Bishops' statement ("Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice") talks about responsibility, rehabilitation and restoration.

The perpetrator has to take responsibility for their actions. Society also has a responsibility to try to restore the victim and the perpetrator. For perpetrators, rehabilitation means attending to addictions, unemployment and poverty, or the lack of a moral or ethical base in the person.

For victims, restoration includes reestablishing safety, repairing injuries and repairing damaged relationships.

The challenge of the Gospel message of forgiveness for victims is that's where the healing happens. A person who offends also has to have the grace and the capacity to ask for forgiveness. When these two things meet we have restoration.

It's a messy process. But the alternative is fear, hatred and divisiveness. The alternative is worse. It means the continual loss of human life.

- Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala of Los Angeles