Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative
The Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative (JRJI) is a faith-rooted ministry grounded in the Ignatian tradition and committed to transforming the lives of those impacted by incarceration, violence, and systemic injustice.
The Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative (JRJI) is a faith-rooted ministry grounded in the Ignatian tradition and committed to transforming lives impacted by incarceration, violence, and systemic injustice.
Founded in 2009 by Fr. Michael Kennedy, SJ, JRJI accompanies those who are incarcerated — as well as their families, victims of crime, and surrounding communities — through spiritual retreats, education, advocacy, and healing outreach.
Our mission is to:
Reveal the inherent dignity of every human being,
Create space for personal and communal transformation,
And cultivate a more restorative, rather than punitive, approach to justice.
Inspired by the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we bring contemplative prayer into prison settings, forming faith communities behind bars. Participants engage in reflection, storytelling, and discernment — encountering God in a personal way, even in the most unlikely places.
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” — Rumi
New JRJI Members
Collin Price, SJ, a Jesuit scholastic, joined our team in September 2023. He has been getting to know the participants on the retreats and supports them in their journey of healing and transformation. He has shared a reflection on his experience at JRJI. JRJI has taught me, in my short time here, about finding God in hidden places. Prisons, and the people locked inside them, are hidden away from the rest of society. Most of the places we visit are a half-day’s drive away, but when we take the time to travel that distance, we arrive at a place where God resides. Matthew 25 tells us to put ourselves in contact with poor, suffering, outcast people because God is present in the relationships we build with people who are suffering, especially those whose pain is hidden away. We are not the Christ-bearers, bringing God’s message to sinners in need of saving. We are all loved sinners in need of God’s healing mercy, and we find it when we encounter the light of Christ in another person, whether they are wearing black or wearing blue. Our gift is to look underneath the bushel baskets of concrete and barbed wire, face tattoos and life sentences, to find the light within the people we encounter and make it a little less hidden.
Meet Our Team
Our work would not be possible without the service and support of our fantastic volunteers and the Jesuit Novices of the Jesuit Novitiate of the Three Companions of the Society of Jesus. They receive training on Ignatian spirituality and help lead JRJI retreats facilitated in California state prisons or local communities.
