Source: (1990) In: B. Galaway and J. Hudson (eds.), Criminal Justice, Restitution and Reconciliation. Monsey NY: Criminal Justice Press, pp. 15-21.
This essay maintains that doing justice requires adherence to Plato’s principle of doing no harm. The remedy for crime must be based on the following six principles: Compensation is the only way to mitigate harm. Compensation must be provided in such a way as to injure neither victim nor perpetrator. Compensation will always be incomplete since some harm is irredeemable. Punishment violates Plato’s principle of doing no harm. The absence of compensation and the presence of punishment make both victim and the perpetrator less just. If society’s objective is to make people just, then punishment is not permitted, but compensation is required.
Your donation helps Prison Fellowship International repair the harm caused by crime by emphasizing accountability, forgiveness, and making amends for prisoners and those affected by their actions. When victims, offenders, and community members meet to decide how to do that, the results are transformational.
Donate Now