Penitence

Snyder: Accountability key for people who commit crimes

Waldo Village Soup/Waldo/ME/USA/3-Aug-05

… Snyder doesn't believe in punishment for crimes, though he strongly stresses accountability. The difference, he says, can be seen in high recidivism rates and soaring costs.

Jails have a function, he said, as a place "to spend time getting in touch with what you've done." The word penitentiary comes from the Quaker term for penitence, in which a person confesses to wrongdoing and seeks ways to redress it, he noted.

But society will be best served, he said, when individuals who break laws are encouraged to change and are given the assistance that those who are more fortunate have had in abundance.

That means criminals must make restitution to their victims and to the society that maintains police departments, courts and jails because of them. And society must do what it can to help them find their worth and the best way for them to contribute. ...