Forgive or Protect

[ShadowWolf514]

I am 18 years old so I am living with my parents. My Mother wanted me to type out an e-mail for her that would be sent to a judge to keep a person in jail. The man brutally killed an old woman with his friends and stole a few things in her house. The crime was committed a long time ago (can’t remember how long maybe 20 to 30 years.) I wrote out the e-mail and signed everybody in our family’s name on it. Now there is another person who she wants to keep in jail. I am wondering, is it right for us to do this?

On one hand we don’t know the person, and the Catholic Church teaches us to forgive our enemies. My Mother does have a hard time with that teaching. For example, she tells me that she has a hard time loving Islamic people for the evil injustices that are committed in the name of that religion. On the other hand these men did commit violent and evil crimes that were planned out. How can we tell if they are really sorry? The story about the first man shows that he killed that poor helpless old woman for the fun of it. It was not like he did it in a blind rage, and it was very brutal.

We could be stopping a man from changing his life around for the better. Or we could be letting him lose to commit more evil against others. I would hate for either to be on my conscience.

 

[Publisher]

I think you’d need to decide for yourself if the reasons to keep these people in prison is motivated by a real concern for societies welfare OR if there may be a misplaced sentiment that they need “to pay to the last penny” for the crimes they committed. In your estimation has justice been served? What are the reasons for keeping them in prison? Is is motivated by “revenge” and “hate” or “truth” and “justice”?

Personally I would find it a difficult call unless I was involved with the prison ministry or counseling department to get a better understanding of the state of mind and spirit of the inmate…either way is a difficult call.

 

[JRKH]

I am 18 years old so I am living with my parents. My Mother wanted me to type out an e-mail for her that would be sent to a judge to keep a person in jail. The man brutally killed an old woman with his friends and stole a few things in her house. The crime was committed a long time ago (can’t remember how long maybe 20 to 30 years.) I wrote out the e-mail and signed everybody in our family’s name on it. Now there is another person who she wants to keep in jail. I am wondering, is it right for us to do this?

On one hand we don’t know the person, and the Catholic Church teaches us to forgive our enemies. My Mother does have a hard time with that teaching. For example, she tells me that she has a hard time loving Islamic people for the evil injustices that are committed in the name of that religion. On the other hand these men did commit violent and evil crimes that were planned out. How can we tell if they are really sorry? The story about the first man shows that he killed that poor helpless old woman for the fun of it. It was not like he did it in a blind rage, and it was very brutal.

We could be stopping a man from changing his life around for the better. Or we could be letting him lose to commit more evil against others. I would hate for either to be on my conscience.

You ask some very good questions that point to the very simple yet very difficult path that we must trod as Christians.
I agree with Publisher above that it is a difficult call and something that you must decide for yourself.

As to the last paragraph - keeping a man in prison or letting him out has little effect on his changing his life for the better. In fact, there should be an indication of change before his release on parole. God and satan work in prisons just as they work in the general population.
If this person is to come to Christ and change his life, he needs to begin where he is. The parole board cannot assume some future “change” and simply release a brutal killer on some hope.

Peace
James

 

[RastaPasta]

I am 18 years old so I am living with my parents.

Which is why it’s a bit of a challenge to give you much feedback. I wouldn’t want to say anything that might usurp your parents authority.

My Mother wanted me to type out an e-mail for her that would be sent to a judge to keep a person in jail. The man brutally killed an old woman with his friends and stole a few things in her house. The crime was committed a long time ago (can’t remember how long maybe 20 to 30 years.) I wrote out the e-mail and signed everybody in our family’s name on it.

Is there any particular reason why your family members didn’t sign their names themselves?

Now there is another person who she wants to keep in jail. I am wondering, is it right for us to do this?

Possibly.

On one hand we don’t know the person, and the Catholic Church teaches us to forgive our enemies.

Yes it is true, we are taught to forgive. But we are also taught to obey civil law, provided that the laws we are obeying are moral ones. If someone chooses to disobey civil law they can be forgiven, but they are still held accountable for their actions. Decisions have consequences, and in some cases restitution must be made. Someone can deliberately punch me in the face and break my nose; I can forgive them… but they would still be accountable for the medical expenses that would be incurred as a result of my injury.

My Mother does have a hard time with that teaching. For example, she tells me that she has a hard time loving Islamic people for the evil injustices that are committed in the name of that religion.

You can pray for your mother, you can pray for yourself, you can pray for the men in jail.

On the other hand these men did commit violent and evil crimes that were planned out. How can we tell if they are really sorry? The story about the first man shows that he killed that poor helpless old woman for the fun of it. It was not like he did it in a blind rage, and it was very brutal.

They can say that they are sorry and truly mean it, or they can say that they are sorry as a means of paying “lip service”. The fact is only God knows what’s truly within an individuals heart… which is why God is our final judge.

We could be stopping a man from changing his life around for the better. Or we could be letting him lose to commit more evil against others. I would hate for either to be on my conscience.

That’s a heavy load to carry. Being paroled for a crime is a process that is not limited to a letter that you might write. There are a lot of other factors that are considered before someone is given parole, and so you might want to think about that.

God works in mysterious ways. There have been some pretty violent criminals that have been sent to prison, that have turned their lives around and have become Christians (though not necessarily Catholic) while serving their sentences (some of those individuals are still in prison).

I can’t tell you if writing letters such as the one you have mentioned is right or wrong. If it is of great concern to you, you might want to try to have a heart to heart discussion with your mom in order to tell her how you feel about it. There’s no guarantee that having such a discussion will change anything, but if nothing is ventured, nothing is gained.

I will remember you in my prayers.

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