Christian critiques of the penal system

from the article by L. Lynette Parker in Baylor's Christian Reflections issue on Prison:

....While approaching the issues from different theological and philosophical traditions, the above authors nevertheless agree on the problems with contemporary criminal justice and together begin to trace the outlines of a solution. The problems: institutional forces benefit from a destructive status quo; the public view of prisoners makes citizens indifferent to their plight; and an emphasis on individual responsibility fails to take seriously the systemic injustice that prisoners face. The solutions: remember that prisoners, too, are made in the image of God; address the systemic causes of crime; and learn to love the people touched by crime. 

Feb 09, 2012    Religion , Correspondent:Lynette Parker , Community , Biblical

Spring Intensive 2012

The Spring Intensive 2012 offered by the International Institute for Restorative Practices will consist of a two-day immersion experience in a restorative school culture and two days of professional development in restorative practices. 

Feb 09, 2012    Event

Divine justice as restorative justice

from the article by Chris Marshall in Baylor's Christian Reflections issue on Prison:

The word “retribution” (from the Latin retribuere) simply means “repayment”—the giving back to someone of what they deserve, whether in terms of reimbursement, reward, or reproof. Usually the term is used in the negative sense of punishment for wrongful deeds rather than in the positive sense of reward for good behavior. When the word is used in isolation, it tends to evoke the idea of vengeance or retaliation. When it is paired with the word “justice” however, it implies a more measured delivery of punishment as due recompense for wrongdoing. 

Feb 08, 2012    Retribution , Religion , Theory

Restorative justice: The new way forward

from Lisa Rea's article in Baylor University's Christian Refelction issue on Prison:

.... Some might argue that our prison system was never meant to positively affect victims and communities. I will not analyze the original purpose of prisons in society, but we know that prisons have become something far different than what they were intended to be. Most societies have incarcerated individuals who were deemed to be a violent threat to others, but the United States prison system today has grown immensely beyond this rationale. As a result, the American state and federal prison population has expanded dramatically. 

Feb 07, 2012    Correspondent:Lisa Rea , Practice , Victim , Policy , Politics

My experience with the Sycamore Tree Project

from the article by a British prison chaplain:

I’ve been facilitating the Sycamore Tree courses in my prison now for about eighteen months. Sycamore Tree is the Restorative Justice programme run by Prison Fellowship (http://www.pfi.org/). It is a six week course which runs one afternoon a week.

Over such time you would not expect very much to happen. How can you change a person’s outlook on their life in six short afternoons?

Feb 06, 2012    Country:England&Wales , Region: Europe , Other , Victim , Prison