Biblical Worldview correctional professional
Christian worldview
refers to system of ideas and ethics that a Christian believer uses to guide
their daily lives. The concepts are essential when Christians face dilemmas and
crisis in decision-making. Although worldview can differ from one denomination
to another, some tenets such as believing that humans are sinful, that the
Bible is the book of instruction, and that people must serve God in all walks
of life are universal. Christian worldview makes it easy for Christians to
integrate their faith into their daily lives. In the criminal justice system, Christians
who uphold Biblical worldview uphold ethics because it is the prudent thing to
do in the profession, but because they believe in pleasing their maker and
obeying the scripture. Therefore, Biblical worldview encourages correctional
professionals to pursue restorative justice and avoid retributive approach that
is an old approach to the profession.
It is possible for biblical world view to influence professional behavior of Christians working in the correctional department. It is difficult for years of training to wipe out worldviews that a person develops throughout their lives. In tense situations when a Christian has to make a difficult decision, the education may not influence their decisions as their faith is ingrained in their systems. Professionals who are consistent in their Christian belief strive to be more like Christ in their work stations and their Christianity can influence their lives. Such a focus on the biblical worldview can guide them when making ethical decisions.
However, modern correctional practices are based on retributive theology. The theory suggests that God demands holiness from His followers and avoid being yoked with non-believers. Therefore, any person who departs from the set standards receives a punishment that corresponds to their omissions. Agents of God, such as the church, take the same approach to justify the need to punish offenders. The majority of the western societies was founded on the Christian faith and used the tenets of the Bible to establish secular governance systems, including the justice system, especially in correctional facilities. The ideas were prevalent in the western world in the middle ages and became the basis for criminal justice practices that persist to date. However, a study of the Christian Bible shows that retributive theology is not consistent with the Bible. It points more to restorative justice that is gaining prominence in the world today. This paper addresses the value of restorative justice as the Biblical Worldview of correctional professionals and the importance of discarding retributive approaches to the criminal justice system.
The paper addresses the
following critical points. First, why people think it is possible to correct
offenders without showing them love. Secondly, it is combined correctional
facilities with understanding that the fundamental law of life is love.
Thirdly, whether it is possible to approach the criminal justice system through
Christian Bible lessons such as loving offenders. The biblical understanding of
“justice” does encourage punishment but focuses more on healing,
fostering the well-being of the community, and restoring broken relationships.
For example, Galatians 6:1 demands that Christians who live by the Spirit
should restore any person who is guilty of an offense while avoiding falling
into temptations. The commands are similar to emerging trends in the
correctional profession that is considering alternatives to retributive
criminal justice.
Restorative justice
reflects biblical teaching because they focus on victim-offender reconciliation
programs, the involvement of the family in rehabilitation, and sentencing
circles. The success of such programs is critical as it would encourage
individuals and institutions that believe in mending broken systems in society
than just punishing offenders.
Today, the treatment of
most offenders in American prisons is not on rehabilitation, but it is on
retribution and deterrence in the guiding principle. According to Pillari
(2012), there were ninety-seven hundred Americans in correctional facilities in
2005, and one-fifth of them have no chances of parole. A significant proportion
is of offenders who committed the crimes as minors but sentenced in adult
courts. The current status is a dismay to reformers of the justice system who
believe in restorative justice. Advocates of correctional justice suggest that
correctional facilities exist to reform and to punish offenders. It also
insists that the institutions exist to uplift and not degrade citizens. It is not
for crushing but to develop the worth of a person.
As far as juvenile
offenders are concerned, proponents of the restorative justice system argue
that the minors are not criminals but victims of their environments. Therefore,
they insist that the government.
The justice system has
to balance the delicate needs in society. On the one hand, there is a need for
the system to deter and guarantee public safety in a nation. On the other hand,
another section of society demands that the purpose of prisons and other
correctional institutions is to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders into
society. Progressives do not insist on the accountability of the individual but
focus on the person and the need to ensure that they become better citizens.
However, the narratives in the mainstream media and the discussions in public
are about getting tough with criminals. As a result, the modern trend is to use
“get tough” legislation to insist on accountability for a person’s
actions and the safety of the public. Although the Christian worldview supports
the view of the progressives, governments have difficult tasks of balancing the
rights of the accused persons and need to provide public safety.
Christian teachings such
as social education of the Catholic Church provide sound principles that create
a balance between the conflicting approaches to the modern criminal justice
system. Although the instructions do not claim to provide a blueprint for
reforming the criminal justice system, it gives a strategy of retooling the justice
system to embrace retributive and restorative justice in society. The
rehabilitation and reintegration ideas and the retribution, deterrence, and
public safety measures can address the complex issues of justice. The fact that
there were changes from the original system of punishment to a more
accommodating policy means that the initial strategy was not satisfactory. As a
result, there is a need to reconcile the two systems and find a middle ground
to accommodate the conflict views. The conciliatory teachings of the church
come in here to guide society on the best approach to follow.
Contrary to public
perception, conciliation between the competing systems is possible when viewed
through Christian social teachings. The foundational teachings of the idea are
human dignity, and subsidiarity provides the framework from which a society can
rethink its approach to the criminal justice system, especially the
correctional aspect. The plan encourages the courts and the full justice to be
holistic in its approach to the punishing or reforming offenders. The Catholic
Social Teaching began during the reign of Pope Leo XIII in 1891 when he wrote
and taught about the Condition
of Labor (Rerum Novarum). The
purpose of the writing was to respond to the growing need for the church to
guide society on social issues. Notably, the Rerum Novarum did
not start the social teachings since these ideas are already in the scripture.
However, it was a significant attempt to explain to the people about biblical
teachings by using social challenges that people encounter daily.
The writings of Pope Leo
XIII’s writings began a tradition of popes applying the wisdom in the Christian
Bible to address the world’s social problems. From the beginning of the Bible,
the book of Genesis notes that God made humans in his image, men and women. The
import of this idea is that every person deserves respect as an autonomous
being with rights and liberties. More importantly, every individual has
fundamental value on account of sharing in God’s nature. In the Christian
faith, there is a close relationship between the nature of God and humanity. It
is made evident with Jesus Christ taking the human form to save humanity from
self-destruction. From these tenets of Christian faith flows, the foundational principle
of Catholic Social Teaching about ensuring that people live in dignity.
Giving people dignity is a subject to the behavior of the person as well as the response of society towards people who break the law. The need for human dignity requires a person to choose their actions to avoid hurting others. Additionally, it requires the community to think of the needs of other members of the society as their own. They can achieve this objective by showing all members of society love. The second principal of the Christian teachings on social contact is solidarity. Christian scriptures teach believers of Jesus Christ to live in unity as members of a family. According to Ephesians 4:4-6, the scripture insists that the unity of the body of Christ is at the heart of the Christian faith. Solidarity is rejection of secular individualism that is common in modern societies. Christians believe that embracing solidarity and unity in the faith prepares them to serve their God and community better. The transformation makes it possible to love one another in a way that can support the reintegration of offenders into the community as long as they are willing to reform from past mistakes.