Saturday, March 16, 2013


Let the Convicts Serve Their Victims
   Our judicial system might could take a tip from what is taught in church. I know some recoil when anything churchy is brought into politics. But, if that is you, listen, and judge the suggestion on its merits, not on where it came from.
   A few weeks ago, while debating a Facebook friend who pointed out the U.S.'s high incarceration rate, some scriptures and church doctrine on repentance came to mind. The steps of repentance include recognizing our sins, feeling sorry we did what we did, providing restitution, forsaking the sins, and confessing them. I zeroed in on restitution, at first, but quickly realized how the others steps could also be involved if we changed up our system so that, when possible, instead of sending people to prison, we asked them to serve their victims. 
   Serving the victim, then. Let the judge look at the case, and decide if it is the better option, better than prison, or maybe something that could be done even while in prison.
   Not thinking he was LDS, I didn't share any scriptures, or church doctrine with my Facebook friend, I just told him serving the victim might be an option, instead of prison.
   Now, when a person serves someone, they are turned to thinking about them. Could we not teach the convicts some of the good qualities about their victims, helping them develop an empathy for them. Serving the victim can help the prisoner achieve the steps of repentance. Serving the victim can help create a sorrow for the crime. If you know a little bit about the victim, and are taught what is good about that person, you are more likely to recognize that what you have done is wrong, you are more likely to  feel a sorrow for what you have done, and you are more likely to say, "I never want to do this thing again." 
   If those steps of repentance really are principles of overcoming sin, why would we not want to use them in our judicial system? If they are true principles, let's use them. They are just as practical in one situation as they are in another. Me thinks it a wonderful thing that this might help, might make for a better judicial system.

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