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Christianity

Wisdom Gained Through Experience

Who is like the wise man?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
Wisdom makes one's face shine,
And the hardness of one's countenance is changed1.
Eccl. 8:1

What is justice?

On a philosophical level, we might say that justice is best understood as fair and correct treatment, with an equitable distribution of resources amongst all people. Martin Luther King equated justice with love. He said, "Justice is love correcting that which would work against love."2 God's justice, however, goes a step further than this. It is a fundamental facet of who God is. The Bible speaks of justice as the chief attribute of God, forever linked with God's mercy. It describes the relationship with God and humanity. Is. 5:16 says: "But the Lord of hosts is exalted by justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy by righteousness."3 And in Deuteronomy 32:4 we read: ".his work is perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God, without deceit, just and upright is he."4 For the Christian then, justice is exemplified as living in right relationship with others in community, and also with God.

A sobering analogy

There's a story of a man who lost a coin in the middle of a lawn, but his friend finds him looking all over for it on the sidewalk. "Why are you looking all over for it here when you lost it over there"? - "Because it's dark over there, this is where the street lamp is".

Everything we now know about the complex set of factors and conditions that contribute to the events that get

"There is .a contradiction between the free, gratuitous, and creative love of God and the doctrine of retribution that seeks to pigeonhole God.The world of retribution.is not where God dwells; at most God visits it." Gustavo Gutierrez13
labeled 'crime' tells us that to be looking for solutions by putting the spotlight on the criminal justice system, to punish and imprison individuals, is to be looking for solutions in the wrong place. The criminal justice system has long been the only place on which the street lamp has been focused. Experience tells us that this does not work. Instead we must move the spotlight back to the community, within which we all strive to co-exist. We must examine our interconnectedness and seek holistic ways to repair our brokenness.5

What is Restorative Justice?

Thirty years ago, an idealistic probation officer gave a troubled teen the chance to meet his victims and rectify his wrongs, instead of facing a more traditional punishment. Together they became pioneers in restorative justice - a concept that is reshaping the way we think about criminals and crime.

Russ Kelly, who was 18 years old in 1974 says: "I had a chip on my shoulder. I was angry at the world. Had I gone to jail for any length of time, I would have come out a much worse person, with a hardened heart. In that regard, it really made a lot of difference in my life."6

Restorative justice "sends a clear message that a particular behaviour is unacceptable, while at the same time supporting the offender." This sets a balance between an ethic of justice and an ethic of care that is at the heart of restorative justice.7

".[R]estorative justice sees crime as a violation of people and relationships. Those violations create obligations to redress crime's harm. And justice involves victims, offenders and the community working together in an effort to put things right." Howard Zehr believes that respect is the most important value of restorative justice. "Respect reminds us of our interconnectedness but also of our differences.If we pursue justice as respect, we will do justice restoratively."8

It is not easy to hate the sin but love the sinner, but as Christians we are required to see life through a different lens. Experience tells us that the retributive system of justice does not work. A holistic approach is necessary, using the wisdom we have gained through experience.

Giving a voice to the victims of crime

"When we contact victims, they are often surprised to hear from anybody.When they have an opportunity to have a say or have their needs met, this is all new territory. The criminal justice system usually offers victims nothing except the severity of the sentence as a symbol that society is taking their pain seriously."9 Under these conditions, the severity or length of the penalty never feels as if it is enough because it does not address the real needs that people have; for support and information; for accountability and safety; for acknowledgement and input; for reparation.

Defense lawyer Norm Boxall still shakes his head in wonder over a case involving a male client charged after his car struck and killed a young woman on her bike. After the victim's parents talked to the man.they empathized so much with the accused - a young man with no previous criminal record - that they pleaded with the judge not to send him to jail or even suspend his driver's license. "Frankly, says Boxall, I was brought to tears. No, it didn't replace the loss of their child. Nothing is going to do that. But I think they left with a sense of closure."10
Bob Hutchison, husband, father of five year old twins, lawyer, world-class triathlete, was killed while checking on a teen party gone wild at his neighbour's house. The party had become loud and knowing his neighbours were away, he went to check on their teenaged son. Minutes later he was dead, the victim of a drunken rampage. His wife Katy says: "This was the most frightening experience of my life. What was going to make me feel better was to sit face to face across a table from him and talk about what had happened." After the meeting she said: "There was no doubt in my mind that he was genuinely remorseful." During a second meeting she says, there was a chance for a lot of tears, laughter and a hug.and there was something else: forgiveness. "It just feels very good to be able to give that gift to him," she says. "I think it's been a gift that's been very hard for him to accept."11

Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.12

This Leaflet was prepared under contract for the Correctional Service of Canada by the Church Council on Justice and Corrections. Additional faith-based resources on Restorative Justice are available on the web site of both Correctional Services Canada www.csc-scc.gc.ca and the Church Council on Justice and Corrections www.ccjc.ca

1 Eccl. 8:1, from The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, 1989.
2 Martin Luther King Jr. "Address to the Initial Mass Meeting of the Montgomery Improvement Association" at the Holt Street Baptist Church on Dec 5, 1955. Part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Papers, held at the Centre for Non-Violent Social Change, Atlanta.
3 Is. 5:16, from The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, 1989
4 Deut. 32:4, from The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version, 1989
5 Lorraine Berzins, Community Chair of Justice, The Church Council on Justice and Corrections.
6 Russ Kelly, "How a drunken rampage changed legal history", by Don Butler, The Ottawa Citizen Restorative Justice series, Sept. 11, 2004, p A1
7 Marc Forget, as told to Don Butler for the Ottawa Citizen Restorative Justice series, Sept. 11, 2004, p A1
8 Howard Zehr, The Little Book of Restorative Justice.
9 Jamie Scott, in an interview for the Law Commission of Canada's video, Communities and the Challenge of Conflict - Perspectives on Restorative Justice .
10 Don Butler, The Ottawa Citizen Restorative Justice series, Sept. 12, 2004, p C5
11 Don Butler, "Forgiveness Sets You Free", The Ottawa Citizen Restorative Justice series, Sept. 15, 2004, p A7
12 The Gospel of Luke, 23: 34
13 Gutierrez, Gustavo, On Job: God Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2003), p 88-89.

Date Modified: 2008-02-13

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