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| Bishops want new approach to justice |
| By nzcatholic.org.nz |
| Published: 08/14/2009 |
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WELLINGTON - New Zealand's Catholic bishops have stressed that reconciliation, not revenge, must be the focus of the justice system to create a safer society. Their statement, "Revenge or Reconciliation", released on July 17, concurs with the views of Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias and Corrections Department chief Barry Matthews that more community involvement is needed to reduce New Zealand's high imprisonment rate. "All of us, whether victims of crime, offenders, employees in the criminal justice system, family members or neighbours, are called to find paths to a justice system which reconciles; which rejects attitudes of revenge; which helps victims to heal and offenders to turn their lives around," the bishops said. "It is the only true path to the security and safety that our society longs for." Society is becoming increasingly fearful, the bishops said, with people building a sense of security on having fuller prisons, longer sentences and harsher treatment of offenders, resulting in increasingly punitive attitudes and calls for revenge and retribution. Bishop of Christchurch Barry Jones, the bishops' representative on the Prison Chaplaincy Service of Aotearoa New Zealand board, said those attitudes have to change. "Neither repentance nor forgiveness can occur without love and support, nor can either take place in an environment of bitterness and vengeance. Such support is lacking far too often in our current criminal justice system," he said. In 1989, the bishops predicted that unless there was a change in responses to crime, New Zealand would have the highest incarceration rate in the Western world. It has reached the number two position - behind only the United States. The Church assists prisoner well-being in New Zealand through prison chaplaincy and other forms of ministry. It provides 25 chaplains to the country's 20 prisons. Read More. |
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