Our Story
In 1999, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious participated in a Catholic delegation to the women’s prisons in Chowchilla and Corona, California. During these visits, representatives from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet spent time listening to the incarcerated women discuss their needs.
One heartbreaking theme emerged repeatedly: "We never see our children."
The sisters learned that many of the women had not seen their children for the entire duration of their incarceration. These listening sessions profoundly impacted the sisters, leading to the formation of the Women in Criminal Justice, a network of women dedicated to organizing and advocating for the rights of incarcerated women.
This group of sisters and laywomen sponsored the first Get On The Bus trip in 1999 under the volunteer leadership of Sr. Suzanne Steffen, CSJ (1928–2026). The inaugural event included one bus, 9 incarcerated mothers, 17 children with their guardians, primarily maternal grandmothers, who traveled to the two women’s prisons in Chowchilla.
Sr. Suzanne Jabro, CSJ, Director of Detention Ministry for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, brought the program under the sponsorship of her department, where it operated for another three years out of the chancery offices.
In 2003, Sr. Suzanne Jabro left her position at the LA Archdiocese to lead Women in Criminal Justice and Get On The Bus full-time under the corporate umbrella of the Sisters of St. Joseph Ministerial Services, a nonprofit incubator supporting startups launched by the sisters. After being deemed financially and organizationally sound, the ministry was separately incorporated as The Center for Restorative Justice Works on October 1, 2007.