Van Jones Reveals Biggest Challenge of Producing 'Redemption Project'

Van Jones brought a murderer together with his victim's child for his new show about restorative justice -- and the meeting was so powerful ... he cried so hard his nose started bleeding!!!

Van was on "TMZ Live" Friday, giving us the lowdown on his new series, "The Redemption Project With Van Jones." It brings offenders face-to-face with the people most affected by their violent crimes.

He says the process offers victims and criminals a way to finally heal their wounds. He adds ... every word uttered during the series is an authentic expression of someone "trying to climb out of hell." Riveting stuff, for sure.

As you might imagine, Van says he and his team struggled with the ethics of bringing victims together with convicts ... and explains the steps they had to take to make sure things didn't spiral out of control.

'Redemption' premieres Sunday night on CNN.