Restorative Justice Resources

The Office of the Restorative Justice Ministry is responsible for the oversight of all Catholic programs conducted in correctional facilities located in the diocese to assure their compliance with the norms and guidelines established by the bishop and that the pastoral needs of the Catholic inmates incarcerated within those correctional facilities are properly and most effectively served. Accordingly, all volunteers who conduct Catholic service programs or retreats in correctional facilities in the diocese should refer to the Restorative Justice Ministry’s Pastoral Care Policy Manual to ensure compliance with those norms and guidelines.

The Texas Catholic Correctional Ministers (TCCM) is a collective body of representatives from each of the Criminal Justice ministries of the (arch)dioceses of Texas. The TCCM provides oversight and direction for the many men and women who are involved in Catholic correctional ministry at the state, diocesan and local parish levels. The TCCM website provides information and resources to assist those who are interested in serving in the Catholic correctional ministry as well as those who are served by it, including specifically volunteers, families of inmates and former inmates.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is an assembly of the hierarchy of the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands that jointly exercise certain pastoral functions on behalf of the Christian faithful of the U.S. The purpose of the conference is to promote the greater good that the Church offers humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate fittingly adapted to the circumstances of time and place.

Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops (TCCB) is a federation of all Roman Catholic dioceses and ordinariates located in the State of Texas. The primary purpose of the TCCB is to encourage and foster cooperation and communication among the dioceses and the ministries of the Catholic Church of Texas. 

Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition

The Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition (CPMC) strives to meet multiple needs of persons and organizations involved in Catholic ministry serving persons affected by incarceration. CPCM’s website is the place to go for Catholic ministry serving people affected by incarceration, connecting ministry leaders, those seeking assistance, and those involved in advocacy.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) manages offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities that contract with TDCJ. The agency also provides funding and certain oversight of community supervision (previously known as adult probation) and is responsible for the supervision of offenders released from prison on parole or mandatory supervision. 

Texas Juvenile Justice Department

The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) is the state agency responsible for the treatment and rehabilitation of detained youth in a setting that is protective and designed to educate youth about discipline, values, and work ethics.

Federal Bureau of Prisons

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) is the federal agency responsible for the custody and care of inmates detained in federal prison institutions throughout the nation.

Texas Criminal Justice Coalition

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC) works with peers, policymakers, practitioners and community members to identify and promote smart justice policies that safely reduce Texas' costly over-reliance on incarceration -- creating stronger families, less taxpayer waste, and safer communities. 

Catholic Charities of Central Texas

Catholic Charities is dedicated to helping people in need of all ages, faiths, ethnic backgrounds and economic circumstances. Services and assistance include counseling, disaster response, financial stability, Gabriel Project Life Center, Immigration Legal services, and Veteran services.

National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated

NRCCFI at FCN is the oldest and largest organization in the U.S. focused on children and families of the incarcerated and programs that serve them.

Seedling Foundation

The Seedling Foundation is an Austin-based nonprofit that responds to the needs of public schools in Travis County by providing resources, assistance and programming. Their activities include a school-based mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents.

Texas Jail Project

The Texas Jail Project seeks to improve the conditions for approximately 65,000 people -- mothers fathers, brothers, sons, sisters, and daughters -- who are incarcerated in Texas county jails.  

Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) is a statewide, grassroots membership organization working to end the death penalty in Texas. TCADP engages in outreach, education and advocacy aimed at raising awareness of issues related to the death penalty and mobilizing the citizens of Texas, and their elected officials, to support abolition.

Kolbe Prison Ministries

ACTS retreats have enriched the lives of hundreds of thousands of men and women, both Catholic and non-Catholic, in the USA and beyond. Today, volunteers host ACTS retreats in prison units throughout the state and continue to visit those in prison on a weekly basis to help facilitate learning and understanding of the Catholic faith. 

STRIVE Fresh Start (TDCJ Intro of STRIVE)

STRIVE Fresh Start is an innovative, comprehensive re-entry program launched in 2017 with U.S. Department of Labor Funding. This program incorporates evidence-based interventions such as Moral Reconation Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, legal services, occupational skills training, and transitional jobs into STRIVE's proven employment model.

Fresh Start draws on deep reentry expertise at STRIVE sites across the country, ensuring that men and women leaving incarceration have access to the training, credentials, and support needed to thrive in the modern workforce. 

Sacramental Preparation Faith Formation Program

An outline of subjects to be covered in an RCIA/Sacramental Preparation program that can be conducted in a correctional facility along with catechetical resources.

Bishop’s Delegation Request Checklist

Ordinarily, the Sacrament of Confirmation is administered by the Bishop, but in cases of necessity, the Bishop may delegate authority to a priest to administer the sacrament on his behalf. The Bishop’s Office requires that all such requests for the Bishop’s delegation of a priest to confirm in a jail or prison be made through and coordinated by the Office of the Restorative Justice Ministry. A checklist of information that will be required by the Bishop’s Office as a prerequisite to granting delegation for a priest to confirm is set forth in the above-linked document.

Catholic Inquirer (RCIA) Application

RCIA application form approved by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) for use in TDCJ prison and state jail units.

USCCB: Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime & Criminal Justice

A comprehensive statement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the issues of crime and corrections; justice and mercy; and responsibility and treatment.

Schedule of TDCJ Units listed by Diocese

A schedule of TDCJ prison and state jail units is listed alphabetically by diocese.