The Lumen Christi Institute’s Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network and the Catholic Social and Political Thought Initiative of the UW-Madison Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy are proud to present Catholic Perspectives on Criminal Justice Reform: a Scholarly Colloquium. This three-day public lecture and workshop series (Feb 10 – Feb 12) gathers a diverse array of legal scholars and ethicists to explore how Catholic tradition and social thought can inform the many challenges confronting today’s American criminal justice system. This event is the second of two academic gatherings on this topic (the first held at Seattle University October 7-9, 2021). The papers from both colloquia will be published as an edited volume.
The full colloquium is invite-only. The keynote event on Thursday, Feb 10, is open to the public, both online and in-person. To register for the keynote event, see the event page HERE.
Catholic Perspectives on Criminal Justice Reform: a Scholarly Colloquium
Thursday, February 10 | Feast of St. Scholastica
12:05 pm Mass, Most Rev. Donald Hying, Celebrant (Chapel, St. Paul’s University Student Center, 723 State Street, Madison, WI 53703)
12:45 – 2:00 pm Lunch and Fellowship Time (Pyle Center, 702 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53706)
2:00 – 2:30 pm Gathering, Opening Prayer, & Introductions (Pyle Center)
2:30 – 4:00 pm Opening Seminar for Students and Scholars: Understanding Punishment in the Catholic Tradition (Pyle Center)
Most Rev. Donald Hying, Barbara Sella, John Stinneford, Marc DeGirolami
4:30 – 5:45 Opening Reception (Fluno Center, 601 University Ave, Madison, WI 53715)
6:00 – 7:15 pm (Keynote event, open to public) Redeeming Punishment: Catholic Approaches to Criminal Justice Reform (Fluno Center, Auditorium)
Dean Strang, Cecelia Klingele, Rev. Javier del Castillo, Secretary Kevin Carr; Moderator: Hon. Thomas Donnelly
To register for the keynote event, see the event page HERE.
Friday, February 11 | Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
7:30 am Morning Prayer (St. Paul’s University Student Center, Chapel)
9:00 – 10:00 am Chapter Workshop: John Stinneford & Marc DeGirolami – The Common Law, the Catholic Tradition, and the Criminal Law (Pyle Center)
10:00 – 11:00 am Chapter Workshop: Rev. Gregory O’Meara, S.J. – Continually Coming to Oneself in a Dark Wood: Catholic Anthropology and Criminal Law (Pyle Center)
11:00 – 12:00 pm Chapter Workshop: Patrick Brennan – Punishment Among Friends (Pyle Center)
12:05 p.m. Mass (St. Paul’s University Student Center, Chapel)
2:00 – 3:00 pm Chapter Workshop: Maria Hawilo & Mark Osler – Clemency: Where Mercy Meets the Constitution (Pyle Center)
3:00 – 4:00 pm Chapter Workshop: Michael O’Hear – Jubilee: Catholic Social Doctrine and Lengthy Prison Sentences (Pyle Center)
4:00 – 4:15 pm Break
4:15 – 5:15 pm Chapter Workshop: Stephen Pope – Criminal Justice, Restorative Justice, and Catholic Social Teaching (Pyle Center)
Saturday, February 12 | Feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius
8:00 am Mass, Rev. Greg O’Meara, S.J., Celebrant (St. Paul’s University Student Center, Chapel)
9:00 – 10:00 am Chapter Workshop: Herschella Conyers – The Quality of Mercy: Ending the Transfer of Juveniles to Criminal Court (St. Paul’s University Student Center, Library)
10:00 – 11:00 am Chapter Workshop: Cecelia Klingele – Hearing the Cry of the Poor: How the Principle of Subsidiarity Can Amplify the Voices of Those with Lived Experience of Crime and its Consequences (St. Paul’s University Student Center, Library)
11:00 – 11:15 am Closing Prayer
Special thanks to the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy for hosting this colloquium of the Lumen Christi Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network (CCJRN), and to the following people and institutions for making this colloquium possible:
Most. Rev. Donald Hying, Rev. Eric Nielsen, St. Paul’s University Student Center, Professor Richard Avramenko, University of Wisconsin Law School, and Badger Catholic
Other cosponsors of the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network include:
Georgetown University Law Center, Notre Dame Law School, Boston College Law School, Fordham University School of Law, Loyola University Chicago Law School, University of St. Thomas School of Law, The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, The Institute on Religion, Law, and Lawyer’s Work at Fordham University School of Law, Center on Race, Law, and Justice at Fordham University School of Law, Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago, Catholic Prison Ministry Coalition, Kolbe House Jail Ministry