Seeking Justice: The Emerging Role of the Church in Establishing Justice in our Communities

The training session will provide an opportunity to build a support network among people involved in criminal justice and restorative justice ministries in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Restorative Justice, in contrast to the American judicial system, seeks to work with victims and offenders to mediate repentance, forgiveness, and restoration -- and thereby allow healing of both victim and offender.

Restorative justice uses traditional forms of negotiation and community support to resolve serious offenses that the state identifies as criminal.

In the court room, victim and offender rarely meet; the judicial process requires that they remain adversaries. Judge and jury must make yes or no, guilty or not guilty decisions which do not necessarily reflect the intricacies of the situation or the best interests of victim or offender or even the community at large. Young offenders are sent to prison where they are educated to become hardened criminals. Victims are ignored by the criminal justice process, and often receive no form of restitution. The offender is discouraged from admitting guilt by the legal process, which further hinders repentance and reconciliation.

The U.S. restorative justice movement began about ten years ago under the leadership of Howard Zehr, a Mennonite whose book "Changing Lenses" is considered the authoritative work on restorative justice. Changing Lenses is recommended as preparatory reading for the Philadelphia training event.

Workshops:

1. The Prison Industrial Complex
   • Privatization of prisons and global prison industrial complex
   • Racism and criminal justice policy
   • Drug war and alternatives
   • Access to guns and gun control
   • Relationship of poverty and crime
2. Victims and Offenders in Conversation
   • Ways of facilitating healing and accountability for victims and offenders:
   • Victim-offender reconciliation
   • Sentencing circles
   • Family group conferencing
   • Church-based support and education
3. Death Penalty
   • Public misperceptions
   • Issues: societal, theological, political, economic, biblical, humanitarian
4. Victims' Needs and Experiences
   • Victim and criminal justice system
   • Theological issues: e.g., forgiveness
   • What facilitates healing?
5. Offenders' Needs and Experiences:
   • Offender and criminal justice system
   • Theological issues: e.g., atonement, forgiveness
   • What facilitates healing and accountability?
6. Integrative Justice Ministries

John A. Kirk has served as a prison chaplain over the Youth Facilities of the North Carolina Department of Correction, Inner City Director for the Nashville, Tennessee Y.M.C.A., Superintendent of McCain Correctional Center (N.C.), and local church pastor in Waterbury and Shelburne, Vermont. His current title at General Board of Global Ministries is Executive Secretary / Prison Ministries. He is a member of Troy Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Directions:

From the North: Follow Rt. 309 (Fort Washington Expressway) south into Philadelphia. About 5 miles south of I-276, Rt. 309 joins onto Ogontz Ave. Continue on Ogontz Ave. (not Rt. 309) to Stenton Ave. At this intersection turn right onto Chelten Ave. The church is on the right at Chelten Ave and Wister Street.

From the South: Follow Broad Street (Rt. 611) north to Stenton Ave. Turn left onto Stenton Ave. and continue west to Wister St. Turn left onto Wister and follow Wister 2 blocks south to the church (on your left) at Chelten Ave.

Parking: Park on the street or in the lot across Chelten St. from the church.

(For additional information, request a copy of the printed announcement which includes a simple map of the location.)

Name_____________________________________

Address___________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Church /Org.______________________________

Phone (______)___________________________

Phone (______)___________________________

E-mail__________________________________     
I would like CEU (continuing education) 
                      certificate:  ___Yes   ___No   


Cost to Participants:  $10.00, including lunch
(scholarship assistance is available if needed)

                
 Amount enclosed:   $__________________
               
Make checks payable to:
      Eastern Pennsylvania Conference

Tear off and mail this registration form to:
             Rev. Allen G. Jenkins, Jr.
             52 Arbor Meadows
             Sicklerville, NJ 08081
             215-468-1999

Registration deadline is March 20, 2000.
Note: Space is limited.  Please register early.
 
Workshop choices: (each person may attend two)
1st_______                            2nd_______

Child care will be provided by request:
Child's Name      Age

____________________________________________

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• Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, United Methodist Church
  • Restorative Justice Work Team
  • Black Methodists for Church Renewal
  • Church and Society Work Team
  • Black United Methodist Pastors
• Samaraitan Center
• Pennsylvania Prison Society

Other introductory workshops and training sessions on Restorative Justice and Prison Ministries may be scheduled by request. A 51-minute video "Restoring Justice" is also available for loan. [Contact Robert Walden or Rev. Allen Jenkins, Jr. for further information.]

Links to many Restorative Justice resources can be found at the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries Restorative Justice web site gbgm-umc.org/restorative-justice/.

Resources for this this training session have also been provided through the United Methodist Restorative Justice Program, Mr. Harmon Wray, Director, The United Methodist Church, 1008 19th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37212. 615-329-2279, hwray@gbgm-umc.org