"A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just." "Given that God’s mercy has no limits, if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart, the issue for those who do not believe in God is in obeying their own conscience." "It is easier to repress than to educate and, I would say, it is more comfortable too. Denying the injustice present in society and creating these spaces to put offenders is easier than offering equal development opportunities to all citizens." "It’s right that those who have made a mistake pay for their mistake, but it’s even more right that those who have done wrong should be able to redeem oneself from their mistake. There can’t be sentences without windows of hope." "I think of those who are locked up in prison. Jesus has not forgotten them either. By including the act of visiting of those in prison among the works of mercy, he wanted first and foremost to invite us to judge no one. Of course, if someone is in prison it is because he has done wrong, and did not respect the law or civil harmony. Therefore, in prison, he is serving his sentence. However, whatever a detainee may have done, he remains always beloved by God." "Let’s think of our incarcerated brothers and sisters, and let’s think about the tenderness of God for them and pray for them so that they may find in that window of hope a way out toward a better life." "Life imprisonment is a hidden death penalty." "Political authorities are obliged to respect the fundamental rights of the human person. They will dispense justice humanely by respecting the rights of everyone, especially of families and the disadvantaged." -Catechism of The Catholic Church Second Edition (Paragraph 2237). "To the Prison Police and to the administrative staff, I would like to say thank you. Thank you because your work is hidden, often difficult and unsatisfactory, but essential. Thank you for all the times that you live your service not only as necessary vigilance, but also as a support to those who are weak. I know that it is not easy but when, in addition to being guardians of security, you provide close presence for those who have been ensnared in the nets of evil, you become builders of the future: you lay the foundations for a more respectful coexistence and therefore for a safer society." "With regard to prisoners, it would appear that in many cases practical measures are urgently needed to improve their living conditions, with particular concern for those detained while awaiting trial. It must be kept in mind that penal sanctions have the aim of rehabilitation, while national laws should consider the possibility of other establishing penalties than incarceration." "You cannot talk about paying a debt to society from a jail cell without windows. There is no humane punishment without a horizon. No one can change their life if they don’t see a horizon."
The guy that just pleaded guilty to raping and killing a 5 year old and then raping her again after she was dead --SHOULD BE KILLED IMMEDIATELY. Or should he be put in prison to to enjoy tv, weight lifting, eating, friendships and all the other benefits of a forgiving society?
Why does someone equate being locked up as a dangerous criminal to paying one's debt to society. It just doesn't compute in my thinking.
I am not a Christian at all, don't like the crimes they committed against Humanity. But to me Jesus was what a perfect Human being is supposed to be. If we were like him .... There would be no hunger, people would be loved and taken care of .... instead we are too impulsive, greedy and warlike. He was perfect from design .
For me the biggest issue is not in the ethical considerations of capital punishment as such, that is relative as anything ethical. The real problem is 1 - no justice system is perfect, and capital punishment is final. There is no justice system so good to not make mistakes and where some people do not turn out to be falsely imprisoned (or killed) years and decades later. With everyone else there is a chance to repair a mistake as long as they are alive. There have been even instances of people confessing to crimes that turned out not to be true, so even that is not foolproof. 2 - to minimise events under 1, a developed western legal system will usually have so many checks and appeals to make it more costly and troublesome than just life incarceration.
