Lisa Daniels: Finding Healing Through Restorative Practices

Lisa Daniels transformed her grief into purpose after forgiving her son’s killer. As founder of the Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practices, —named after her son—she embodies the principles of restorative justice and the forgiveness teachings from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.

Through her powerful story, Lisa reveals how the criminal justice system often sidelines victims’ interests and perspectives, even when claiming to seek justice on their behalf. Her perspective comes not from naïve idealism but from lived experience, including her service on the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. There, she reviewed applications from individuals serving lengthy sentences for serious crimes.

Lisa shares her personal journey in this episode and explains the fundamental principles of restorative justice that now guide her life’s work. Her approach centers on healing rather than punishment, creating space for both accountability and reconciliation.

Restorative practices focus on repairing harm caused by crime by involving all stakeholders—victims, offenders, and community members. This approach acknowledges that crime damages relationships and creates obligations to make things right. Through facilitated dialogue, participants address needs, responsibilities, and pathways to healing.

Lisa’s story demonstrates how forgiveness can empower victims rather than diminish their pain. By choosing to forgive, she reclaimed her agency and transformed her relationship with trauma.

And, if you yourself are a victim of crime, you are invited to share your own story and your views about justice for victims on the Victim Voices Facebook page or on the Victim Voices community page on the new social media platform of Ibble, and add the hashtag #victimvoices.

Your voice matters, too, and sharing it can help heal others. Full Episode here.