Sure I'll forgive, if the offense wasn't too serious!

A news story in our area these days is proving one thing: When considering forgiveness, it’s difficult to get past the seriousness of the offense. 

Here’s the situation. The Supreme Court has ruled that we may not sentence juveniles to life in prison without parole anymore. Because the ruling was retroactive, some men and women serving life terms for crimes they committed as teenagers have a chance at freedom, IF the judge agrees to a lenient sentence the second time around. And that’s what is happening in Grand Rapids. A juvenile lifer will be getting a new sentence. 

And here’s where it gets sticky. The 1997 crime we’re talking about was a terrible one involving a baby. Even many progressive thinkers have a problem with freeing a person for something that heinous. 

To his credit, Kent County Circuit Judge Paul Denefeld has obviously done his homework. He discovered that the teen who committed the crime had had a terrible childhood. And, his investigation revealed that the man’s prison record is “stellar and that he has indeed been rehabilitated.” 

That makes no difference to the family of the victim, or to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker: “This (crime) goes to a level of really serious depravity that quite frankly I don’t think anyone’s ever seen.” News stories reflect their strong opposition to freeing the accused, who is now 42 years of age and has been in prison for 21 years. 

Here’s my point. If all we desire with incarceration is punishment and retribution, the man should remain behind bars. If, however, we call it the Department of Corrections, because we expect rehabilitation and restoration, then, when such rehabilitation and restoration occurs, we should welcome that person back into society. 

LWOP, says David R. Dow in the Daily Beast: “...gives up on everyone, regardless of whether they exhibit any capacity for growth and change; it robs people of hope...” 

I so appreciate Norway’s position on this. No life without parole in Norway...a cap of 21 years, and that’s it, even for mass murderers. Rehabilitation of the offender is the goal. 

Granted, we can’t bring back the life of the baby. And that’s sad. But we might be able to save the life of a misguided juvenile who is now seeking a fresh start. And that’s good! 

I think the first step is to understand that forgiveness does not exonerate the perpetrator. Forgiveness liberates the victim. It’s a gift you give yourself. 

— T. D. Jakes

Comments

Unknown said…
It's called Department of Corrections, not the Department of Warehousing. I think some people think that when a person is sent to prison, that is the end.
February 17, 2022 at 8:50 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Half-a-race!

The HFP Drag-Racing Fund-Raiser had the potential of being extremely successful, and could have raised several thousand dollars. Let's just say it was partly successful. For background purposes I'll explain that I was racing a 1963 supercharged Studebaker Lark that has a reputation of being one of the fastest stock Studebakers in drag racing today. The engine was built by one of the finest Studebaker engine mechanics in the country, and the car many times has achieved quarter-mile runs in less than 14 seconds! We promised to make at least ten passes in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags at Mid-Michigan Motorplex in Stanton, Michigan, this past weekend, and we asked for pledges ONLY ON THOSE RUNS REACHED IN LESS THAN 14 SECONDS. On Friday, here's how we fared: Run #1 13.936 @ 101.24 mph Run #2 14.027 @ 101.30 mph Run #3 14.091 @ 100.88 mph Run #4 13.805 @ 102.84 mph Run #5 14.058 @ 101.26 mph By the 5th run we discovered that ...
Read more

Gregory John McCormick: 1964-2008

Itchy is dead. The lifeless body of this talented rock musician, whose band Shock Therapy was a popular group especially in Europe, was found in a field in Detroit last Wednesday, November 5. The Wayne County Coroner's office informed father Glenn McCormick that the body of his son Gregory, better known to all of us as Itchy, bore no signs of trauma. Glenn said that Itchy, who had been living at his father's dental lab in Detroit, had been drinking to excess for some time. While the toxicology report has not been released yet, the general consensus seems to be that he drank himself to death. Our agency, while still named INNOCENT, first got involved with Itchy in 2005. The Detroit native, who called Germany his home, got involved in some unfortunate activity that placed him in the Michigan State prison system on a charge of arson of a dwelling. It was really just a bonfire in an alley, but an alleged parole violation placed him in prison for 1-20 years. I personally sat w...
Read more

Three lives, connected by a divine thread

My kids say it should be a book! The Doug, Pat and Mark story is a doozie!   About 25 years ago, while fighting to free Maurice Carter from prison, I read a newspaper column written by Pat Shellenbarger of the Grand Rapids Press on the topic of eyewitness identification. I contacted Pat re that story. That led to a friendship between Doug and Pat that continues to this day.   In subsequent months, Pat would go on to assist me in an investigation into the Maurice Carter case that eventually led to solving the crime.  That particular episode became a chapter in my book about the Carter case, SWEET FREEDOM, published in 2006.   Fast forward to 2009, A New York businessman claims wrongful conviction, and while serving time in a Michigan prison is handed a copy of my book. Mark Hartman, who was also convicted in Berrien County, was amazed at the similarity of these two stories and tried to reach out to me. His letters bounced.   Persisting in his efforts to c...
Read more