America stands alone among industrialized nations in telling children as young as 13 that they are beyond hope or redemption. More countries around the world impose sentences of caning, amputation or stoning than impose juvenile life without parole or “JLWOP.” It is intellectually, legally and theologically wrong to punish adolescents for their emotional and psychological immaturity in a manner that denies them the opportunity to grow up and to discover their potential.

To understand this, look no further than Adolfo Davis, who grew up in Washington Park and joined a gang as an adolescent in search of the support and stability that he lacked at home. On the night of Oct. 9, 1990, two months after his 14th birthday, he accompanied two older gang members on what he thought would be a robbery, but instead was a double homicide. Adolfo, who did not shoot anyone, was tried as an adult and convicted under an accountability theory that did not require the prosecution to prove he killed anyone.

He received a mandatory JLWOP sentence and will spend the rest of his life in prison unless Gov. Pat Quinn grants his petition for clemency.

JLWOP is inconsistent with the principles of fairness and proportionality. The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution requires that criminal sentences be proportionate to the underlying offenses and reflect “evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society.” Ironically, in 1899, Illinois was the first state to create a juvenile justice system, recognizing that kids should be treated differently by courts. This principle has been lost.

JLWOP sentences deny juveniles the potential to grow, develop and be rehabilitated. The theological foundations of Christianity, Islam, Judaism and many other religions recognize that a just punishment allows the offender to be rehabilitated and restored to the community whenever possible.

The United Catholic Bishops wrote that “we cannot tolerate behavior that threatens lives and violates the rights of other. We believe in responsibility, accountability and legitimate punishment.” They go on to say, however, that as a society we do not “give up on those who violate the laws. We believe that both victims and offenders are children of God.”

Both the Supreme Court of Illinois and the U.S. Supreme Court have abolished mandatory JLWOP sentences, but only for certain juveniles.

Illinois’ Supreme Court rejected a JLWOP sentence in People vs. Miller, explaining that a “life sentence without the possibility of parole implies that under any circumstances a juvenile defendant convicted solely by accountability is incorrigible and incapable of rehabilitation for the rest of his life.”

Similarly, in deciding that JLWOP is unconstitutional for non-homicide offenders, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Graham vs. Florida, found that juvenile offenders who did not kill or intend to kill have “diminished moral culpability” and must be provided the opportunity to prove that they are deserving of release: “based on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation.”

Adolfo has grown into a man who contributes to the betterment of society. He has accepted responsibility for his actions, he has reached out to others with similar backgrounds to help them avoid his fate and he has waited for our legal system to confirm that his is a life worth saving.

Despite Adolfo’s tremendous personal growth, he is not the poster child for the rehabilitative ideal that gave birth to the juvenile justice system more than 100 years ago. He is the poster child for its failure.

Joshua Sohn is a partner at DLA Piper and one of Adolfo’s pro bono attorneys, and the Rev. David Kelly is director of the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago.

Source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/11864884-452/even-youths-who-offend-deserve-chance-to-grow-up.html

(Apr. 13, 2012)

As previously announced, the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation is offering a continuing formation opportunity. Participation will need to be limited to available spaces and is open to all members and Companions. The deadline for registration is April 15. Please contact bill.nordenbrock@gmail.com to receive registration information.

The workshop will be in English only. Please click here for more information.

(Mar. 13, 2012)

Adolfo Davis is thirty-five years old and has been in prison for over twenty years. He was barely 14 years old when he was ordered to participate in what he believed at first would be nothing more than a robbery . For that mistake, he has never stepped foot outside of prison since. His sentence of life without the possibility of parole means he never will.

Growing up in extreme poverty, without support from his absent father, his chemically addicted mother, or the social services agencies that documented but failed to meet his desperate cries for help, Adolfo was drawn to the “false family” that gang life offered. When two older gang members instructed him to participate in a crime, he went along as was expected of junior members. The two elders opened fired in a crowded apartment, killing two people. Adolfo did not pull the trigger or kill anyone, yet was sentenced to spend the remainder of his life in prison.

As current social and scientific research now confirms, Adolfo, as a fourteen-year-old boy, lacked the developmental maturity to understand what was asked of him and the likely consequences of his decision. Despite this, he was tried as an adult and sentenced to life without parole under the prosecution’s “accountability theory,” which presumed that he understood the risks of his decision and the likely consequences. This sentence, which the United States is alone in the world in imposing, simply ignores the reality that people do change and that children are not simply smaller versions of adults.

Today, Adolfo is a different person than he was at fourteen. He has come to accept responsibility and feel remorse for his actions and decisions as a child. Among other things, he has earned his high school diploma and numerous certificates of achievement, and begun to distinguish himself in college courses taught at Stateville Correctional Center. Most important to Adolfo, he volunteers his time through the Precious Blood Ministry, mentoring troubled teenagers facing circumstances like he did. Through his poems, Adolfo also aims to inspire kids at risk of growing up like he has: in prison. His poems have been published in a book entitled Thoughts of a Broken Child, excerpts of which are included in newsletters like “The Abolitionist,” “Making Choices,” “Stateville Speak Some” and “American Prisoner,” which is distributed in Chicago schools.

Adolfo deserves a second chance, not only because of the intense poverty and neglect of his childhood, his lesser role in the crime and the unfairness of his sentence, but also because he has matured into a reflective, conscientious adult who has devoted himself to the lives of others. In April 2012, Adolfo will present his petition for clemency to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. He asks to be released for time served. Please join us in urging the Review Board and Governor Pat Quinn to recognize that Adolfo Davis is exactly the kind of person who deserves clemency:

http://www.change.org/petitions/governor-pat-quinn-and-the-illinois-prisoner-review-board-grant-clemency-to-adolfo-davis

(Feb. 13, 2012)

PBMR is having its first annual luncheon and silent auction! All are invited to Saint Joseph College, in the Student Union Building on March 10th, 2012. The event will begin at 11:00 a.m. and end around 1:00 p.m. If you would like to attend please see the Dinner Reservation pdf.

We are also accepting donations that can be sent to Precious Blood Ministry at: PO Box 09379 Chicago, IL 60609.

If you have any questions at all please contact Donna Liette at 773-952-6643 or liettecpps@aol.com.

(Jan. 20, 2012)

All this has been done by God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Cor. 5:18

Reconciliation has emerged as a key concept in our understanding of the spirituality and in the charism of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. As a ministry of the Cincinnati and Kansas City Provinces, the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation [PBMR] seeks to be a resource to our members and Companions as they seek to embody our spirituality and to minister through this charism.

The Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation is offering a continuing formation opportunity. Participation will need to be limited to available spaces and is open to all members and Companions. The workshop will be in English only. Please click here for more information.

(Jan. 06, 2012)

The Mothers for Peace celebrated the completion of an incredilby beautiful and moving mural in the Back-of-the-Yards community. Along with youth, community members, and local artists, the Mothers for Peace group led the effort to create a social space dedicated to peacebuilding and keeping dreams alive. The theme of helping our children make the right choices was beautifully demostrated with a mural that connected communities and peoples. Young people, many of whom had their struggles, assisted in the creation of the mural. It continues the ongoing use of art and collaboration in an effort toward "putting neighbor back into the hood".

(Oct. 16, 2011)

Dear Friends,

We would like to invite you as our Precious Blood members and friends to join us
in prayer and/or activities for the cause of peace and non-violence.

In 1982, the UN established an International Day of Peace as a global observance. Nations were invited to stop and be attentive to the violence in our world and the causes of these hostilities. It was to be a day of global ceasefire and non-violence. All were invited to devote time and thought to ideals of peace within and among all nations and peoples.

Since its inception, 29 years ago, there has been marked personal and planetary progress toward peace. It has grown to include millions of people worldwide and many events are organized each year to continue to build peace communities and curtail violence in our cities and world.

Here at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago, "Back of the Yards" community, we see and hear violence daily. I know this is true in some of the areas where you live and/or minister. Therefore, we invite you to join us in this 100 day vigil (September 15 - December 24) for the purpose of building more peace-filled neighborhoods, churches, schools, colleges and communities.

Enclosed you will find a brochure with more information. The motto for this 2011 International Day of Peace is: MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

How can we as Precious Blood members and friends, make our voices heard for the cause of peace and for the end to violence?

Let us be united by praying the prayer on the flyer. If you plan activities, please let us know and we can share them with others on our website.

We, here in Chicago, for our September 15 kick off, are gathering at one of the four (4) peace mural sites in our community to pray and share our concerns for the violence in our neighborhood. We will make plans as to how we can "Make our Voices Heard" and create
more peaceful neighborhoods.

We thank you very much for joining with the world and with us in making your voice heard -
NO MORE VIOLENCE - PEACE!

Let there peace on Earth….

Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR) staff:

Dave Kelly, CPPS - Denny Kinderman, CPPS -Diana Rubio - Jonathan Little

Mike Donovan - Victor Lopez - Donna Liette, CPPS

(Sep. 21, 2011)

Mothers Day Walk for Peace
5K / 3 miles
Dia de las Madres Caminata por la Paz
14 de mayo / May 14th
10:00 AM

Beginning at Precious Blood Center - 5114 S. Elizabeth St .
Ending at the Mural for Peace - 51st and Laflin
773-952-6643

Comenzando al Centro Preciosa Sangre—5114 S. Elizabeth St.
Terminando al Mural para la Paz—51st y Laflin

(Apr. 01, 2011)