At the 175th session of the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church clergy and lay members unanimously passed a resolution entitled “A Call for A Conference Committee on Restorative and Transformative Justice.” This initiative is an affirmation of continuing efforts to confront a criminal justice system that has failed to bring an end to institutional and community violence. The Northern Illinois Conference joins a coalition of community and faith-based organizations offering alternatives to personal and community conflicts. The conference joins the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church in calling for restorative justice.

Restorative justice is not a program, but a model undergirded by practices and principles that help shape our hopes for the future. Restorative justice brings healing to communities and recognizes the role of education and faith in establishing a just community. We encourage everyone and every community to be a part of a movement that will provide hope and liberation from a system that only punishes and oppresses communities for the harm that is done to individuals and the communities in which they live. Our understanding of justice that is restorative and transformative requires that we look not only at offenses committed by individuals but that we also examine structural and societal issues that cause harm to individuals and communities.
The Northern Illinois Conference Committee on Restorative and Transformative Justice is charged with the responsibility to coordinate and communicate conference efforts to educate its members and congregations on how they can engage in advocacy and direct services that address the need for “a genuinely new system for the care and restoration of victims, offenders, criminal justice officials, and the community as a whole.”

To learn more or to join these efforts contact Rev. Chris Pierson, Director of Connectional Ministries, at cpierson@umcnic.org or Rev. Richard Mosley, Jr., Committee on Restorative and Transformative Justice Committee, richardmosleyjr@sbcglobal.net

by Richard Mosley, Jr. & Chris Pierson