news

Summary

Editor (1995). The Adversarial Approach to Justice - More Harm than Good. Update: The Church Council on Justice and Corrections. (Fall): 3-4. Ottawa, Canada.

There is a deeply entrenched assumption in our society that justice is accomplished by means of punishment. Indeed, the churches have to take responsibility for having contributed to this foundation of our legal system. Yet, research now indicates that the best available knowledge can no longer sustain a justification for punishment as a principle of law institutionalized by the State. On principle, it is wrong - Do we really believe that hurting people who hurt people is an effective way to demonstrate that hurting people is wrong? The evidence confirms it is wrong- the people who re-offend the most are often those who have been punished the most. (excerpt)

6735