Churches and Punishment
Roman Catholic Church
Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.
If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person.
Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime, by rendering one who has committed an offence incapable of doing harm--without definitively taking away from him the possibility of redeeming himself--the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity 'are rare, if not practically non-existent.
Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life
Church of England
On Capital Punishment:
This Synod would deplore the reintroduction of capital punishment into the United Kingdom sentencing policy.
General Synod 1983
On Criminal Justice:
This Synod
- welcomes Her Majesty's Government's commitment to the development of restorative justice programmes which enshrine the biblical principles of holding offenders responsible for their crimes, addressing the needs of victims, and enhancing the protection of the public.
- welcome efforts to prevent 15 and 16 year olds being remanded into prison custody by offering constructive alternatives in the community.
- note the continuing public concern about the effect of crime in our communities;
- record its unease at the disproportionate number of black offenders in our prisons, and welcome initiatives to eradicate racism throughout the judicial and penal system;
- request Her Majesty's Government to reassess the situation whereby mentally ill people are often held in prison when they would be better treated in a secure hospital environment;
- recognise the need to reintegrate offenders into the community through prison and community based programmes and in partnership with employment and accommodation schemes;
- affirm the role of prison staff, chaplains, Boards of Visitors and volunteers and the part they play in supporting the families of people in prison; and
- urge dioceses, deaneries and parishes to promote the study of Prisons: A Study in Vulnerability (GS Misc 557) through criminal justice groups and other means.
General Synod 2007
The Church of England is a full member of the Churches' Criminal Justice Forum (CCJF). CCJF makes its own submissions to Government and also engages in work on the resettlement of prisoners, women's prisons and visiting. It also has a Criminal Justice and a Policy Officer who engage in educational work with church congregations.
