Restorative justice

While our nation holds only 5 percent of the world’s population, we have 25 percent of the world’s known incarcerated population — or approximately 2.5 million individuals. More than 1 in every 100 Americans is behind bars. California has more prisons than any other state — 34. This is evidence of our nation’s flawed logic that constructing more prisons is the cure for crime. As my professor once said, the logic is analogous to the belief that constructing more funeral homes is a cure for cancer.

So what is the priority of our criminal justice system? It is a question that has haunted our nation since its inception 240 years ago, but our notions of crime and punishment boil down to three fundamental goals: deterrence, retribution and rehabilitation.

General deterrence works to protect the public from various crimes by deterring repeat criminal conduct. Retribution is the idea that the punishment should fit the crime, allowing the victims of the crime to find some comfort. Rehabilitation is the idea that beyond punishment, we should work to provide meaningful opportunities for offenders to reintegrate into society, thus embracing a life of opportunity rather than of crime. Unfortunately, our nation’s insatiable appetite for punishment always outweighs our desire to rehabilitate offenders.

In the 1970s and 1980s, many communities began to evolve toward an entirely new concept of rehabilitation — restorative justice. It is an approach to criminal justice that engages both victims and the community in rehabilitating offenders.

For individuals like Sonya Wells, restorative justice programs are the only resource standing between them and a return to a life of crime upon their release. Once plagued by a broken family and a life of crime, Wells said she was inspired by restorative justice sessions, where offenders meet with community members to discuss ways back into the community and out of a life of crime. Wells now organizes small groups of inmates to share hopeful, meaningful and uplifting sentiments. Wells’ story shows us that compassionate community engagement has the means to fundamentally influence others’ lives, particularly the lives of those in prison. My family and I engage in a restorative justice program. We often share biblical, motivational and inspirational stories to remind each inmate that, no matter how great their offense or fateful their mistake, they, too, have a chance to find a meaningful life free from crime.

I would encourage every reader to consider devoting a spare hour to assist in local restorative justice programs. To find out how, contact the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department and get a list of community groups and services they facilitate.

The rewards of community participation in our nation’s rehabilitation efforts are endless: We can substantially reduce our nation’s prison population, diminish our appetite for punishment, and develop empathy that helps us see offenders as people rather than numbers.

A native of Pacifica, Jonathan Madison worked as professional policy staff for the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Financial Services, from 2011-2013. Jonathan works as an attorney and can be reached via email at jonathanemadison@gmail.com.