How a Philly Pastor Helps Victims and Perpetrators of Crime

Shortly after serving his sentence in federal prison for drug crimes, Pastor Christobal Kimmenez came face to face with the boy who shot and killed his 14-year-old son William three years earlier. The unexpected encounter took place at the Maryland juvenile detention center, where the gunman, who was 12 at the time of the killing, was being held.

Kimmenez, 63, saw the boy among the young offenders he had been invited to preach to that day in 1998. “He didn’t know I was coming, and I didn’t know he was there,” he said. His initial impulse was to get close enough to hurt his son’s killer. Instead, he leaned on his religious beliefs and suppressed his anger.

Kimmenez said he told the boy he knew who he was and forgave him. “It lifted a huge burden, and he and I started corresponding and talking,” Kimmenez said. His mercy toward his son’s killer was helped in part by his knowledge that the boy’s father died for murder, and that he himself had not been the best father to William. At the time, he did not realize that he and the young gunman had begun the process of “restorative justice” – a criminal justice approach designed to rehabilitate perpetrators through reconciliation with their victims.

In Philadelphia, the violence and crime that have plagued many communities for generations have given rise to a subculture of advocates and activists working to curb the bloodshed. Some speak on behalf of the victims. Some focus on addressing the needs of offenders to prevent them from offending again. Yet others, like Kimmenez, speak for both victims and ex-offenders. His three-and-a-half year sentence and the loss of his son have given him the perspective needed to do the work he does, such as convening restorative justice meetings between perpetrators and victims for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

Born in Washington, Kimmenez became a U.S. Marine at age 17, served in combat in Grenada, Panama, Kuwait and Somalia, and retired in the 1990s after being injured in a car accident. He said he became addicted to the drugs he was taking to manage the pain from his injuries, leading to his arrest at Washington National Airport when authorities found a stash of drugs on him. Shortly after he was released from prison and completed rehab, his son was murdered.

Kimmenez then moved to Philadelphia for a fresh start and to be close to his wife’s family. He became an ordained Baptist minister in 1996 and is now associate pastor for social justice at People’s Baptist Church in Southwest Philadelphia. He is also the executive director of Healing Communities Pa., a faith-based prison reentry organization that advocates for those affected by crime and mass incarceration.

The father of six and grandfather of 12 said his organization, Healing Communities, has been under contract since 2020 to help run the restorative justice program for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Data shows that people covered by the program have an average recidivism rate of 19 percent, compared to 56 percent of those who received traditional prosecution, Kimmenez told the House Judiciary Committee in April.

At the end of September he helped organize it a three-bus caravan to the first annual Survivors Speak March in Washington, DC. The march, sponsored by Los Angeles-based Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, drew several thousand people from across the country. They called for better services for crime survivors and former prisoners, including restorative justice.

Robert Rooks and Lenore Anderson, co-founders of Crime Survivors, told those gathered at the Capitol that fewer than 10 percent of crime victims have access to states’ victim compensation programs and other government-funded services. “We need you now more than ever as we see tough crime returning,” Rooks told the crowd. “We see our loved ones being used as political pawns. We are seeing some of the same old strategies reemerging to justify the increase in incarceration.”

Fresh off his trip to DC, Kimmenez sat down with The Trace for an interview. These answers have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

MD: You have noted that you are both a former criminal and a crime victim, having lost your son. How many of those you work with come from the same background?

When you consider how many young people end up in the gun violence system, many have been physically abused and sexually abused themselves. A large part of this is not reported. It is not unusual for people who are in the system to be victims themselves. Many of us belong to the same family, we are in the same community. In recent years we have tried to change the conversation about this. There is a lot of shame and guilt surrounding victims who also have family members who have caused harm.

From your perspective, what drives gun crime and other violence among the people you work with?

The real cause of crime is poverty and centuries of disinvestment and redistribution and exclusion and oppression and devaluation of black and brown lives. Wealthier suburban communities invest more in parks, recreation centers, schools and health care. Communities that have adequate resources experience less crime.

What happened to the boy who shot and killed your son in 1995?

As a result of the restorative justice process with me, his life began to change. He was released at the age of 21 and never went back. I won’t publicly reveal who he is because that’s his choice. But he has a master’s degree, has a family of his own and works with a group in LA that gets kids out of gangs.

Have you completely forgiven your son’s murderer?

For me, forgiveness is bigger than just letting him go. Not forgiving and not holding grudges means that someone is gaining power over you. So when a victim forgives and lets go of that anger and resentment, in many ways you take your power back. Second, forgiveness is an important tenet of my faith. It’s hard to say I’m a practicing Christian if I can’t forgive. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Don’t ever think that forgiving someone for putting your son in the ground will ever be easy, but it sure was liberating.

What message do you convey when you speak to perpetrators during restorative justice sessions?

We talk about reality, not about the romanticized things you see on TV, but about the reality of what prison life really is. The reality of what life without parole is like. Especially in PA, where living means living. We talk about the pain they cause their families, the pain they cause the families of their victims.

What do you think about the fact that there have been no murders or shootings? about 40 percent in Philadelphia so far this year compared to the same time last year?

The reason shootings have decreased in recent years is because we invested in many community-based alternatives to violence in 2022 and 2023. These were not investments in law enforcement. We are making great strides toward reducing violence. We’re seeing more health and youth services and all those things being used in evidence-based practices that are making communities safer.

What do you hope will be the outcome of the Survivors Speak March that you went to DC to participate in?

Much of that march was not only about demanding restorative justice and second chance policies, but also about demanding better compensation for victims, better rules and laws surrounding the ability of victims to appear in court without their jobs penalizing them, and more relocation funds for witnesses and victims with security issues. And also a better return policy. We can’t expect people to get out of prison and stay out of jail when our reentry policy essentially prevents you from getting a job, owning a home, or going back to school.