Center for Restorative Justice Works

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Center for Restorative Justice Works Center For Restorative Justice Works
Uniting children, families, and communities.

Get On The Bus brings children and their guardians/caregivers from throughout the state of California to visit their mothers and fathers in prison. An annual event, Get On The Bus offers free transportation for the children and their caregivers to the prison, provides travel bags for the children, comfort care bags for the caregivers, a photo of each child with his or her parent, and meals for the day (breakfast, snacks on the bus, lunch at the prison, and dinner on the way home)— all at no cost to the children’s family. On the bus trip home, following a four-hour visit, each child receives a teddy bear with a letter from their parent and post-event counseling. Get On The Bus is a program of The Center for Restorative Justice Works, a non profit organization that unites children, families and communities seperated by crime and the criminal justice system.

“Thank you for seeing families like ours.”This line says so much about why this work matters.Families impacted by incarc...
10/14/2026

“Thank you for seeing families like ours.”

This line says so much about why this work matters.

Families impacted by incarceration deserve to feel seen. They deserve opportunities to stay connected, make memories, and spend meaningful time together.

Get On The Bus is honored to help make those moments possible, and grateful to every family who trusts us to be part of their journey.

Because a visit may last a day, but what families carry home can last far longer.

It's official: the HUGS Act is law! 🎉💙Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1645, the "Humanizing and Uniting Generations ...
10/08/2026

It's official: the HUGS Act is law! 🎉💙

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 1645, the "Humanizing and Uniting Generations Safely" Act. Starting January 2027, California will protect the moments that matter most when a child visits a parent in prison: a long hug hello, holding hands, sitting close on a parent's lap.

The HUGS Act recognizes how important physical contact is during prison visits. It means California state prisons can't unreasonably limit appropriate, loving contact between incarcerated people and their families throughout the visit, including hugs, holding hands and holding young children.

Thank you to the families, advocates and co-sponsors, including Bridges of Hope, Restoring Hope California and Essie Justice Group, who made this possible.

Learn how we bring children to their parents at crjw.org. 💙

“He was able to just be a little boy spending time with his father.”For a few hours, there was nowhere else he needed to...
09/30/2026

“He was able to just be a little boy spending time with his father.”

For a few hours, there was nowhere else he needed to be and nothing else he needed to carry.

He got to run to his dad. Hug him. Play with him. Laugh with him. Talk to him. Simply be with him.

These ordinary moments between a child and a parent are exactly why Get On The Bus exists. Every child deserves the opportunity to make memories with the people they love.

Next up for our 2027 Get on the Bus season sign-up event: Calipatria State Prison (CAL)! 💛If you have a loved one at CAL...
09/17/2026

Next up for our 2027 Get on the Bus season sign-up event: Calipatria State Prison (CAL)! 💛

If you have a loved one at CAL, make sure they know about the upcoming sign-ups for our Father’s Day event on Saturday, April 3, 2027.

Sign-ups take place inside the institution and must be completed by your incarcerated loved one.

📍 Calipatria State Prison
📅 Wednesday, September 23, 2026
A-Yard | Chapel | 9:00 AM–11:30 AM
B-Yard | Chapel | 12:30 PM–2:00 PM

📅 Thursday, September 24, 2026
D-Yard | Chapel | 12:30 PM–2:30 PM

If you know someone with a loved one at CAL, help us spread the word. Encourage them to let their loved one inside know about the sign-up dates so they don’t miss the opportunity to participate.

We’ll continue sharing event details as dates are confirmed, so follow along to stay informed. 💛

Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme, “Unidos Somos Más: Together, We Are More,” spea...
09/15/2026

Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. This year’s theme, “Unidos Somos Más: Together, We Are More,” speaks to something at the heart of CRJW’s work: familia.

For so many of the families Get On The Bus serves, familia is a first language of love. It’s what keeps people showing up for one another across distance, across years, and across walls.

This month, we celebrate the cultures and histories these families carry with them, and the resilience, connection, and belonging that hold families together through difficult circumstances.

Every visit, every reunion, and every family that shows up for one another reminds us: there is strength in staying connected.

Unidos Somos Más. Together, we are more.

Mark your calendars — sign-ups for our 2027 Get on the Bus season starts next week! 📍 First up: Avenal State Prison (ASP...
09/02/2026

Mark your calendars — sign-ups for our 2027 Get on the Bus season starts next week!

📍 First up: Avenal State Prison (ASP)
📅 Wednesday, September 9, 2026

If you know a family with a loved one at ASP, help us spread the word and encourage them to sign up for the chance to reconnect with the people they love.

We'll be posting sign-up details for each event, so follow along here to make sure you don't miss yours.

Tag a family member or friend who needs to see this. 💛

That's a wrap on our 2026 Get On The Bus season!Since April, our program has kept families connected in 14 California st...
08/21/2026

That's a wrap on our 2026 Get On The Bus season!

Since April, our program has kept families connected in 14 California state prisons, from Calipatria State Prison in the south to Pelican Bay, nearly 400 miles north. Every mile of it happened because of a community that showed up: volunteers who arrived before sunrise, donors who kept the Monthly Giving Circle going, and staff who made sure our families were well cared for.

We watched reunions happen in visiting rooms across the state. We watched kids fall asleep on the ride home holding a photo they'll keep forever. We watched families remember, for one more year, that they belong together.

Thank you for making this season possible.

The bus is parked for now, but the work isn't. Our other programs, Women of Wisdom and Transition4Success, keep going year-round, and planning for our 2027 Get On The Bus season starts now. If you'd like to help us build next year's season, join our Monthly Giving Circle at crjw.org.

Thank you for a season we won't forget. 💜

Last week, Liz, our Exec. Director, took a nice drive out to Palm Springs to meet up with our co-founder, Sister Suzanne...
08/20/2026

Last week, Liz, our Exec. Director, took a nice drive out to Palm Springs to meet up with our co-founder, Sister Suzanne. Every couple of months they connect in person to share updates and swap stories, making sure the heart behind this work never gets lost in the day-to-day.

25 years ago, Sister Suzanne Jabro, CSJ founded our program Get On The Bus with a simple belief: families belong together. We are grateful for Sister Suzanne, and her simple and loving intention that has transformed the lives of so many.

You may know us for Get On The Bus but that's just one of the ways CRJW shows up for families touched by incarceration.M...
08/18/2026

You may know us for Get On The Bus but that's just one of the ways CRJW shows up for families touched by incarceration.

Meet the Women of Wisdom: community members who visit incarcerated women monthly. They share conversations, ideas, and healing, and most importantly, the reminder that someone on the outside is paying attention.

It's community in practice. Built on the belief that walls shouldn't mean invisibility, and that real change happens when people on both sides of them are in relationship with each other.

For the women they visit, Women of Wisdom is sometimes the only consistent visitor they have. For the volunteers, it's a humbling, heart-changing experience.

Want to learn more or get involved? Visit crjw.org

08/14/2026

Summer looks different when a parent is incarcerated. No road trips. No pool days together.

Join our Monthly Giving Circle to make visits possible. For 2.7 million children in America with an incarcerated parent, summer might be another long stretch between the last time they got to be in the same room as their Mom or Dad.

Get On The Bus exists to make those stretches shorter. To give families a day, or two, to be together. To eat a meal, take photos, play games and hug each other as hard as possible. Your generosity every month goes toward supporting these families.

We are winding down to the end of this Get On The Bus season and have already started planning for next year.

Every seat matters. Your gift is important.

Visit crjw.org/monthly-giving

Address

2350 West Beverly Boulevard
Montebello, CA
90640

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+18189807714

Website

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