Source: (2004) A report from the Mission and Public Affairs Council. London: Church House Publishing. Downloaded 16 September 2005.
For all these reasons it is appropriate that another report should be
commissioned by the Church of England’s Mission and Public Affairs
Council. Rethinking Sentencing shows how the debate on the future of
sentencing will affect all our lives, from the referral panel helping young
offenders make reparation to their victims to the issues of social inclusion,
civic renewal and zero tolerance for antisocial behaviour. There is one
chapter on prisons, but its emphasis is on how life in prison contributes
to a loss of responsibility among prisoners. The report shows how
churches are involved with issues of criminal justice across the country,
and how such topics as punishment, reparation and healing raise
profound theological questions. How we pass sentence on another
through the agency of the courts and the bodies that express restorative
justice is inevitably a deeply searching issue for Christians. (excerpt)
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