NCJ Number
169784
Date Published
1990
Length
100 pages
Annotation
The author suggests the criminal justice system in the United States is flawed because it focuses more on punishing the offender than on making things right and reconciling the victim and offender, and because the death penalty cannot be justified on moral grounds.
Abstract
Using the teachings of the Bible, the author indicates the principle of revenge cannot be supported, despite the fact that violent crime is a significant problem. While he is primarily concerned with the death penalty, he also identifies elements that must be present if the offender, the victim, and the community are to move beyond anger, pain, and grief to healing and reconciliation. In the first part of the book, the author discusses the death penalty in terms of violent crimes such as cold-blooded murder, vengeance, the meaning of the death of Jesus and his teachings, and what constitutes justice. In the second part of the book, the author outlines certain steps for responding to violent crimes: be present with victims, denounce violence, see prisoners as humans, search out the truth, and show consequences and give choices. 6 references