| But that is why I construe punishment within a framework of penance. The idea is that punishment is purgative, and helps to set things right. Whether you "own" it or not, you are paying your debt. One hopes that you will use the occasion to accept the appropriateness of punishment, take responsibility, and wish to make amends. It is earnestly to be desired that, at the end, one is more resolute about getting one's life in order. While imprisoned, it is good to give those who will avail themselves of them the means of rehabilitation, such as counseling, educational opportunities, and the ability to acquire a trade. Thus, the whole process is not merely to grind the criminal down, but to raise him up, by impressing upon him the weight of the offense, but also, by impressing upon him that we think that best result is for him to rejoin society as a valuable member........ |
