Special Focus:
Criminal Justice

 With the Timothy McVeigh sentencing in, America is hotly discussing the issue of criminal justice. "Does Timothy McVeigh deserve to die?" Christian scholars and leaders are grappling over this issue and the issues of capital punishment and criminal reform in general. We have devoted this special focus to these important topics.


Feature Article

Religious Programs, Institutional Adjustment, and Recidivism among Former Inmates in Prison Fellowship Programs
Byron Johnson, David Larson, Timothy Pitts
This study examines the impact of religious programs on institutional adjustment and recidivism rates in two matched groups of inmates from four adult male prisons in New York State. One group had participated in programs sponsored by Prison Fellowship (PF); the other had no involvement with PF.


Theology

Capital Punishment
Kerby Anderson
Looks at Old Testament Law, New Testament principles regarding capital punishment. Also, answers the question of whether capital punishment is just and whether it is a deterrence.

A Christian View of Politics, Government, and Social Action
Kerby Anderson
Provides a Christian view of government, political theory, and law. Also gives a practical look at how Christians can be involved in social action.


Opinion

Crime and the Cure of the Soul
Charles Colson
Both liberals and conservatives have forgotten how to account for character and creed. They have ignored the fact that the fate of the moral order depends on the state of the soul. The evidence is clear: Moral reformation, not expanding bureaucracies, is the answer to rising crime. The Humaita Prison in San Jose Dos Campos, Brazil has demonstrated that the moral and spiritual approach to crime does work. In America, we can not build our way out of the crime problem. We will stem the surging tide of crime only by a rehabilitation of the soul.

An Exchange on Crime and Punishment
William J. Bennett and Charles Colson
Bennett and Colson share their differences of opinion on the solution for crime.

The Truth about Crime and Welfare
John J. DiIulio, Jr.
The author, having worked in the criminal justice field for some time, shares his thoughts about the current American prison system. He also suggests reforms for welfare programs.