Report of the committee to study restorative justice.

Source: (2004) Grand Rapids, MI: Committee to Study Restorative Justice, Christian Reformed Church of North America. Downloaded 2 February 2005.

Synod asked us to address these questions in response to an overture brought by Classis B.C. North-West (Agenda of Synod 2003, pp. 401-22). The overture included a study of restorative justice and a set of recommendations. Synod 2003 was favorably inclined toward this overture but believed that it required clarification and amplification at key points.
Specifically, synod mandated our committee to:
1.) Identify and articulate the biblical basis for the administration of justice, particularly the distinction and interaction between retributive and restorative justice; 2.) Consider the present United States and Canadian criminal justice systems and assess both, clearly describing the urgency of the present situation and giving examples of successful interventions and outcomes of restorative justice. Other applications to consider include situations of restorative justice in the home, school, and church; 3.) Recommend ways for the church and its members to learn and implement these biblical justice principles; and 4.) . . . Make every effort to submit to the churches, by the spring of 2004,
a draft copy of the report, inviting response for the committee’s consideration. (excerpt)