The following California State Prisons have immediate openings for a Catholic Chaplain.

Qualified Candidates are lay persons, religious, deacons and priests with demonstrated detention facility pastoral competence who are in good standing with the church and must be endorsed by the Bishop of the Diocese in which the institution is located. Bilingual (English/Spanish) is preferred.  

The chaplain is an employee of the State of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.  Candidates are evaluated by an Associate Warden of the facility and by the local Diocesan Restorative Justice Director.

In collaboration with the local diocese, the Chaplain helps prisoners with moral and spiritual issues; conducts religious services; arranges for and (if qualified) administers sacraments, organizes and instructs religious classes; coordinates Catholic volunteers to assist in carrying out the duties; makes visits to sick and segregated prisoners; and must be willing to function in a multi-denominational / multi-religious manner.  Job specification, duty statement, and salary and benefit information are available upon request.

A committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has endorsed the principles of  a national campaign to end the practice of sentencing people under the age of 18 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development agreed to endorse the Statement of Principles for the Fair Sentencing of Youth at their December 2012 meeting.

“While there is no question that violent and dangerous youth need to be confined for their safety and that of society, the USCCB does not support provisions that treat children as though they are equal to adults in their moral and cognitive development,” said Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of Stockton, California, chairman of the committee. “Life sentences without parole eliminate the opportunity for rehabilitation or second chances.”

In their 2000 document, “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice,” the bishops wrote, “Placing children in adult jails is a sign of failure, not a solution.”

 More than 100 organizations have endorsed the Statement of Principles of the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, including a diverse array of faith-based organizations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Supporters also include groups representing law enforcement officials, victims’ families, mental health experts, parents, teachers and child welfare advocates.

Over 500 people gathered at Loyola Marymount University on August 3rd & 4^th to attend a symposium on “Crime, Punishment and the Common Good in California.” Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration were the key themes as victims of crime, former offenders, government leaders, religious leaders, restorative justice advocates and students gave testimony to a new way of looking at crime and punishment.

Friday night’s event took place at LMU’s Sacred Heart Chapel. After opening prayers from Archbishop Jose Gomez and Bishop Richard Garcia, a moving musical memorial took place for victims of crime. The M.C. of the event, Roderick Hickman (former Secretary, CA Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation) then introduced the keynote speakers, Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix Jr.