In one word, how would you describe the recent “Responsibility, Rehabilitation & Restoration: A Symposium on Crime, Punishment and the Common Good in California” Conference at Loyola Marymount University last week? COURAGE! The courage to be an activist for restorative justice. The courage to talk about the steps towards forgiveness in the criminal justice system. The courage to make a difference in this world!
Volunteers, activists, priests, and officials of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation all came together for a weekend of vital conversations that lead the way to restoration and reconciliation. It was incredible for the UNLIKELY FRIENDS team to be a part of dialogue and action that will be helping transform society’s response to crime from one of punishment to one that paves the path towards reconciliation.
The conference’s vision was the “healing of victims…holding offenders accountable and restoring them to the community…healing the community.” It’s take courage to change the world, and we were thrilled to be part of such an incredible weekend with so many changemakers!
Follow our notes from the conference on our Twitter feed at @UFforgive