NCJ Number
102978
Date Published
1986
Length
174 pages
Annotation
Using Christian biblical and theological insights, this book recommends reforms in the British criminal justice system, primarily in the areas of sentencing and corrections.
Abstract
Criminal justice principles emphasized in biblical theology are the state's responsibility to protect citizens from crime; to minister to the needs of crime victims, offenders, and the community; to dispense retribution based on desert and not revenge; to recognize its own fallibility and be open to reform; and to reflect compassion as well as judgment. Christian values support the decriminalization of minor offenses; the permanent abolition of the death penalty as an affront to reverence for life; the development of an integrated penal policy that deemphasizes imprisonment and emphasizes noncustodial community corrections; and greater emphasis on citizen and community responses to crime prevention, crime victims, and offenders. Shorter sentences are required to reduce degrading prison overcrowding and required to reduce degrading prison overcrowding and increase the likelihood of offender rehabilitation. An independent Criminal Justice Commission should be established to observe, assess, and make recommendations on all aspects of criminal justice policy and related practices. 66-item bibliography and subject index.