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Abstract
The development of a crime victims ministry from a restorative justice perspective was based on a doctoral project Chaplain Bruce Cook conducted from September 2000 to March 2001 through the auspices of the Crime Victims Advocacy Council (CVAC) in Atlanta, Georgia. CVAC is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization that has operated programs for crime victims since 1989, and began the crime victims ministry in 1999. The project included restorative justice dialogue sessions with court and corrections staff; facilitated pastoral care sessions for individuals, groups, and families who were traumatized by crime; a memorial service for families who experienced a homicide; the design and implementation of a crime prevention program for schools, churches and businesses; technology used to interact with crime victims; and legislative education which resulted in a new law against child prostitution. The project is based on the Good Samaritan Parable and a Theology of Reconciliation. The doctoral project used innovative attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of CVAC's activities and the project can be replicated in churches, synagogues, and mosques. The findings of this project will be of interest to pastoral care departments in seminaries, local faith communities, and individuals who have experienced a violent crime.
