Bishop Richard Moth Chair of the Department for Social Justice and Liaison Bishop for Prisons provides the foreword to 'Remember Me A Catholic Approach to Criminal Justice'.
Bishop Richard Moth, Chair of the Department for Social Justice and Liaison Bishop for Prisons, writes this foreword for the Remember Me document.
I am very pleased to commend Remember Me, the new document on criminal justice by the Department for Social Justice of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
Following on, as it does, from the previous publications of A Place of Redemption and A Journey of Hope, this new document explores contemporary issues of criminal justice in the light of Catholic social teaching.
Remembering that every person has an innate God-given dignity is a key step on the path to effective criminal justice. The history of criminal justice in England and Wales shows the efforts that have been made in different times to achieve this. At a time of great challenge and opportunity for the criminal justice system, this document presents a timely reminder of the need to remember and accompany all those affected by crime, from the victims and perpetrators of crime to their families and the wider community, and to address the acute and chronic problems undermining our criminal justice system.
While appropriate punishment for crime is important, it is but one element in the journey for the person who has committed crime. The availability of training and support for those serving sentences is vital for creating a sense of hope and new possibilities.
Effective rehabilitation is important not just for those serving sentences but also for the benefit of the wider community. The condition of our prison estate continues to demand attention, for it is very difficult to discover dignity and purpose in conditions that are, in some cases, not fit for purpose.
There is a call, too, for the whole community to remember and accept the opportunities to enable those leaving our prisons to be resettled and reintegrated into society in the hope of finding, perhaps for the first time, a healthy sense of belonging, community and self-esteem. In particular, the value of restorative justice must be recognised, for it can be an effective path to both healing for the victims of crime and rehabilitation for offenders.
The families of those serving prisons sentences are often, in a different way, the victims of crime. Understanding and support – especially for the children affected by the imprisonment of parents and caregivers – must surely be a responsibility for the state and wider society.
There is a need to examine afresh the underlying social conditions that can feed a fertile environment for criminal behaviour. We must be concerned, for example, about the increasing fragility of the family and the growth of gang cultures often linked to drug abuse, and we must seek to ensure that young people have prospects of meaningful work and hope for the future. The greater awareness of the importance of mental health and well-being, which is so welcome in our present times, should assist in addressing these complex factors affecting crime and reoffending.
This document offers clear calls to action for the Catholic community, wider civil society and the UK Government and its criminal justice agencies. Stemming from the foundation of faith and guided by the insights of Catholic social teaching in dialogue with the individual and institutional experiences of criminal justice, it is hoped that these recommendations will assist us all in developing an increasingly just, merciful and effective approach to criminal justice in our country.
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The role of Catholic faith, restorative justice, and community support in the redemption and rehabilitation of offenders.
