In your opinion and biblically what should be the goals and purposes of the
criminal law?
In your opinion, what seems to be the actual goals of the criminal law, as
carried out by the criminal justice system?
What role should restorative justice play? What role does it play?
In my view, the goals and purposes of criminal law should be grounded in both justice
and restoration. I believe that the main goal of criminal law is to protect society, while deterring
crime, and holding those accountable who commit crimes. From a biblical perspective, Paul
reminds us in Romans 13 to, “let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there
is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore,
whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur
judgment.” (English Standard Version, 2025) In practice, however, I believe the goals of the
criminal justice system often fall short of these biblical principles.
While the stated goal of criminal law is to, “protect the public against depredations of a
criminal…to prevent the conviction of the innocent, or the conviction of a person whose guilt is
not established beyond a reasonable doubt.” (Gardner & Anderson, n.d.) in practice I believe the
system falls short. One way is by prioritizing high incarceration over genuine rehabilitation. This
heavy emphasis on imprisonment has shown to lead to increased rates of recidivism. I also
believe that those imprisoned do not have adequate resources that can encourage rehabilitation.
This heavy reliance on imprisonment often leads to overcrowded prisons, poor conditions, and
can limit access to rehabilitative resources, all of which can contribute to higher recidivism.
Because of this, I believe our system needs to explore more restorative approaches that focus
more on fixing the problem, and less on just punishment.
I believe restorative justice plays a vital role in the criminal justice system, though
currently limited. This more biblical approach focuses more on repairing the harm done, and less
on the punishment. I appreciate this form of justice as it can provide offenders the opportunity to
take responsibility and seek forgiveness, while giving the victims a voice. Not only does
restorative justice provide a means for both the aggressor and the victim, it has also been proved
to reduce rehabilitation by, “focusing on healing rather than punishment, restorative justice
encourages offenders to take responsibility for their actions and actively participate in the
process of making amends” (Park University, 2025). Sadly, restorative justice plays a limited role
in our system. While there are some aspects of this style of justice in our system, it is far from
the norm.
I believe our criminal justice system should stand on a biblical foundation, placing
emphasis on restorative justice while still holding those who break the law accountable, as God
commanded us to, “let every person be subject to the governing authorities” (English Standard
Version, 2025).
In your opinion and biblically what should be the goals and purposes of the
criminal law?
In your opinion, what seems to be the actual goals of the criminal law, as
carried out by the criminal justice system?
What role should restorative justice play? What role does it play?
English Standard Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=Hebrews%2010%3A34&version=ESV
English Standard Version. (2011). BibleGateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?
search=Romans%2013&version=ESV
Gardner, T., & Anderson, T. (n.d.).?Criminal Law?(13th ed.).
https://ng.cengage.com/static/nb/ui/evo/index.html?
deploymentId=5680542456081257383138347567&eISBN=9781305966413&id=252579
5001&nbId=4742936&snapshotId=4742936&dockAppUid=16&
Park University. (2025, May 23).?Restorative justice in modern criminal justice
administration.?https://www.park.edu/blog/the-role-of-restorative-justice-in-modern-
criminal-justice-administration/
