If I steal your car, what is "justice?"
- Making you pay $25,000 a year to warehouse me in a federal prison?
- Putting me to death?
- Making me pay a fine to the
government, to be added to the pockets of politicians?
No, justice means restitution. It means I restore
you to the way you were before my crime. You have your car
back, same make, model, and year, in the same condition. You are
compensated for the bus fare you needed to get to work without
your car. I undo all the damage. I make you whole.
Prisons provide no justice. They are schools for criminals.
They nurture bitterness, resentment, and anti-social pathologies.
Making restitution says "I was wrong." Going to
prison says "I shouldn't have got caught."
Real Justice not only makes the victim whole, it brings
dignity back to the offender.
next: "Hate
Crimes"
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