Marc Levin, director of the Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin, has surveyed restorative justice in Texas. He says that contrary to popular perception, Texas can be considered a pioneer in restorative justice.

Bridges to Life is a faith-based restorative justice program based in Houston. It was started by John Sage after his sister was murdered. It works in 21 Texas prisons and one in Louisiana.

Eric McDaniel is associate professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. He researches religion and politics, including Black religious organizations’ political involvement and what effect they have on Black political activity.

The Center on Race, Religion and Urban Life at Rice University in Houston, Tex. conducts research and supports education on race, religion and society.

Christopher G. Ellison is professor of sociology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is the author of several publications involving faith and families and lists marriage as among his areas of expertise. He has also written about religious influences on the environmental movement.

Jeremy Uecker is an assistant professor of sociology at Baylor University and co-author, with Mark Regnerus, of Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate and Think about Marrying (2010).

Norman Henry is president and executive director of Builders of Hope Community Development Corp., which builds affordable housing in west Dallas.

Prison Fellowship’s InnerChange Freedom Initiative is a Christian religious program meant to help prisoners make the transition back to freedom. InnerChange starts working with them behind bars and organizes support and volunteers from local churches to help them upon their release.

Anthony Coppedge is a Bedford, Texas, church media and communications consultant. Churches have been recording their sermons for years, he says, but now, with websites as electronic front doors and with easy access to MP3 files, church members and religious surfers alike are listening to and sharing sermons, giving the spoken word much wider circulation. Since […]