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| More than 2 million
men and women are behind bars in the United States today. We confine a
higher percentage of our people than any other industrialized nation.
Prisons are the fastest growing portions of state budgets, crowding out
resources that could be spent on schools, hospitals and roads. Despite this
mammoth diversion of resources to build and maintain prisons, crime
continues to increase, leaving our people afraid, victims largely ignored
and two of every three offenders returning to the "system" within three
years. There is no doubt that our criminal justice system is in great need
of reform, and Christians should be in there leading the effort to improve
it.
What are the appropriate steps Christians should take to reclaim our communities from the scourge of crime? What does the Bible teach us about the appropriate response to criminal behavior? From Cain's murder of Abel to the Good Samaritan's acts of mercy to Jesus' admonition to Zachaeus about making restitution to those he has cheated, the Bible has much to teach us about crime, responsibility, rehabilitation and restoration. These are the issues the Women's Division explores in its Mission Study, Restorative Justice: Moving Beyond Punishment. The conclusions reached in the study are reasonable and sound, and I hope that United Methodists will heed the call of United Methodist Women to participate in prayer, discussion and action to apply biblical principles of justice to reduce crime in our neighborhoods. However, I must comment that while I found the substance of the study to be very good, I was taken aback by the strident political tone of much of its rhetoric. One does not have to blame racism, sexism or capitalism to conclude that our criminal justice system is broken and needs to be fixed. In fact, many of us who are working very hard to make the system more restorative don't think its problems are the result of any "isms" at all. Instead, we believe that our current system focuses on the wrong things, fixating on enforcing broken laws rather than restoring broken people. Restorative justice involves the victim in the process as early as possible and focuses on holding the offender accountable to make things right with the victim, reforming the offender's heart and restoring peace to the community. I am afraid that the harsh and unnecessary rhetoric that pervades the study may put off many Christians who would otherwise be open to its message of healing and restoration. If you can look past the strident propaganda, then by all means use this study. However, if you are looking for resources on restorative justice that are free of political slant, I recommend: Justice Fellowship's website http://www.justicefellowship.org and http://www.restorativejustice.org. You may want to partner with local Southern Baptist congregations which are involved in "Project Help: Restorative Justice". They have developed an excellent tool, the Restorative Justice Ministry Resource Guide. You can find out more at http://www.wmu.com/ministry/Project_HELP/phrj.html Whatever resources you use, I hope that you will become involved in reforming our justice system, and creating the kind of communities God described in Isaiah 32:18, "My people will live in peaceful communities, in secure homes and in tranquil places of rest." Pat Nolan is the President of Justice Fellowship, the public policy arm of Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries. |