CRAIGforCONGRESS

Missouri's 7th District, U.S. House of Representatives

  
 

 

 

Congressional Issues 2010
MORALITY AND CULTURE
Justice for the Victims of Crime



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.



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