Can justice and forgiveness go hand in hand? For a society that is ran by systems and procedures the role of forgiveness, especially when the law has been broken, does not go hand in hand. Our systems focus on three things: the law that was broken, the one who broke the law by committing the crime(s), and punishment. Forgiveness has no system. According to Wikipedia “forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense,” and just because a victim or society has made peace with the lawbreaker, a feeling does not establish justice.There are plenty of scenarios where the lawbreaker has gone through man’s justice system with no pardoning or forgiving. Therefor, justice and forgiveness do not go hand and hand.
Major topic of concern has been unjustified police shootings all over the U.S. It is not just police officers towards citizens, but also citizens towards police officers. Most recently, here in Tempe Arizona, a 14 year old boy was shot and killed by Tempe police when the teen appeared to be stealing a car and in possession of what was later found to be an airsoft gun. Unfortunately the police officer felt threatened and the boy did proceed to run, but had the tables been turned and the police officer been shot, would the community respond with the same emotions if the boy had not received a sentence for killing someone?
A police officers family may forgive a boy for not being mature enough to know what he might have been doing and receive a sentence less than one given to an adult or someone of age. Where as a police officer could still be forgiven by the boys family and receive a full sentence because of the way our system works. Not because he was forgiven.
Restorative Justice, according to the Center for Justice and Reconciliation, 'is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior. It is best accomplished through cooperative processes that allow all willing stakeholders to meet, although other approaches are available when that is impossible. This can lead to transformation of people, relationships and communities.' ' In most cases the convicted or the offender would have already received their sentence by our society's system, therefore leaving out any form of forgiveness. In the end, no feelings of forgiveness may take away what our society's justice system has in place for all citizens.
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Restorative Justice: Can Justice And Forgiveness Go Hand In Hand?
(2022, July 08). Edubirdie. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/restorative-justice-can-justice-and-forgiveness-go-hand-in-hand/
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2022 Jul 08 [cited 2024 Dec 22].
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