Churches and Government part ways on criminal justice policy
-9/12/04
The churches and t
Churches and Government part ways on criminal justice policy
-9/12/04
The churches and the Government appear to be heading in different directions over criminal justice policy.
The divergence comes with the news that the Prime Minister has promised to support a change in the law that could give homeowners greater freedom to tackle burglars, if consultation with the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the attorney general showed it was necessary.
The prime minister told MPs that the government wanted to send “a very, very clear signal to people that we are on the side of the victim, not the offender”.
The message however comes as catholic bishops publish a report, which suggests the opposite – that the focus of criminal justice policy should be on both victim and offender, and aimed at redemption.
The issue was fanned by the stabbing murder of Chelsea financier John Monckton in his home last week.
Writing in todayís Times newspaper however, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OíConnor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, said; ìIf the killers are caught, I shall give only half a cheer. I know that when they reach prison, they will enter a system from which they are more likely to emerge as hardened criminals than changed citizens. Our penal system is geared in practice, if not in theory, to punishment rather than redemption.î
ìDoubtless we will be accused of being soft, or of straying too far from the altar. But Mr Monckton would have been pleased. After his murder a close friend said that he would have wanted people to pray not only for his family but also for his murderers ó that they should repent, lest they perish. There could be no better tribute to him than to turn his attackersí dungeon into the place of their redemptionî he said.
Other church leaders including Britain’s first senior black bishop, the Bishop of Birmingham, have called for new “restorative justice” approaches to crime and punishment, helping bring offenders and victims together through Victim Offender Reconciliation programmes.
The Archbishop of Canterbury have urged greater emphasis on offenders, branding the government’s penal policy “scandalous”. Rowan Williams accused the three main political parties of “point scoring” in the debate on criminal justice.
Shadow homeland security minister, Patrick Mercer however, wants to see the self-defence threshold raised to “grossly disproportionate force” before householders face prosecution. He is planning to take up the issue in a private members’ bill.
It became more contentious still when the outgoing commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Sir John Stevens, gave his full support to the Conservative initiative.
Labour’s apparent U-turn came after the Tory leader, Michael Howard, challenged the prime minister to back the bill. “We’ve said we will consult now the chief police officers, the Crown Prosecution Service and the attorney general,” said Mr Blair.
“I entirely understand the concern on this particular issue. I share the general comments of the Metropolitan police commissioner. So, if we get the right response back from those people, then of course we will support a change in the law.
“This particular backbench bill has not yet been published. We will obviously have to consider the right way to take it forward.
“But I entirely share and understand the concern and I hope we can reach agreement on it … I think in the light of recent concern it is worth looking at whether we don’t have to clarify the law so that we send a very, very clear signal to people that we are on the side of the victim, not the offender.”
Churches and Government part ways on criminal justice policy
-9/12/04
The churches and the Government appear to be heading in different directions over criminal justice policy.
The divergence comes with the news that the Prime Minister has promised to support a change in the law that could give homeowners greater freedom to tackle burglars, if consultation with the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the attorney general showed it was necessary.
The prime minister told MPs that the government wanted to send “a very, very clear signal to people that we are on the side of the victim, not the offender”.
The message however comes as catholic bishops publish a report, which suggests the opposite – that the focus of criminal justice policy should be on both victim and offender, and aimed at redemption.
The issue was fanned by the stabbing murder of Chelsea financier John Monckton in his home last week.
Writing in todayís Times newspaper however, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-OíConnor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, said; ìIf the killers are caught, I shall give only half a cheer. I know that when they reach prison, they will enter a system from which they are more likely to emerge as hardened criminals than changed citizens. Our penal system is geared in practice, if not in theory, to punishment rather than redemption.î
ìDoubtless we will be accused of being soft, or of straying too far from the altar. But Mr Monckton would have been pleased. After his murder a close friend said that he would have wanted people to pray not only for his family but also for his murderers ó that they should repent, lest they perish. There could be no better tribute to him than to turn his attackersí dungeon into the place of their redemptionî he said.
Other church leaders including Britain’s first senior black bishop, the Bishop of Birmingham, have called for new “restorative justice” approaches to crime and punishment, helping bring offenders and victims together through Victim Offender Reconciliation programmes.
The Archbishop of Canterbury have urged greater emphasis on offenders, branding the government’s penal policy “scandalous”. Rowan Williams accused the three main political parties of “point scoring” in the debate on criminal justice.
Shadow homeland security minister, Patrick Mercer however, wants to see the self-defence threshold raised to “grossly disproportionate force” before householders face prosecution. He is planning to take up the issue in a private members’ bill.
It became more contentious still when the outgoing commissioner of the Metropolitan police, Sir John Stevens, gave his full support to the Conservative initiative.
Labour’s apparent U-turn came after the Tory leader, Michael Howard, challenged the prime minister to back the bill. “We’ve said we will consult now the chief police officers, the Crown Prosecution Service and the attorney general,” said Mr Blair.
“I entirely understand the concern on this particular issue. I share the general comments of the Metropolitan police commissioner. So, if we get the right response back from those people, then of course we will support a change in the law.
“This particular backbench bill has not yet been published. We will obviously have to consider the right way to take it forward.
“But I entirely share and understand the concern and I hope we can reach agreement on it … I think in the light of recent concern it is worth looking at whether we don’t have to clarify the law so that we send a very, very clear signal to people that we are on the side of the victim, not the offender.”