NCJ Number
101157
Date Published
1982
Length
57 pages
Annotation
This booklet presents a compilation of position and policy statements on the criminal justice system issued by the General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church United States and the United Presbyterian Church United States of America between 1966 and 1980.
Abstract
General statements present a theology of criminal justice and discuss the church's role. The morality of incarceration, prison reform and alternatives to incarceration, a Christian approach to law and order, and the pervasiveness of crime in America also are considered. Two statements present rationales for the abolition of capital punishment. Additional statements discuss the assassination of public figures and urge strong gun control legislation. Also discussed is the importance of the continuing availability of legal aid services and continuation of the Legal Services Corporation. Additionally, the bail bond system, prison construction, and the right to privacy, and grand jury abuses of this right are examined. Finally, the need for church and secular services to victims of crime is discussed.