DownloadDec. 3, 2007 issue
Turn youth away from crime
By Gabe SchlabachPage:
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Mennonites have a long history of finding creative ways to resolve conflict through personal and community action rather than through the courts.
I Cor. 6:7-9 states: “To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? … Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?”
Paul is speaking of conflict within the church. But Mennonites and other Anabaptists have often applied this spirit of forgiveness outside the church as well.
In 1918, several townspeople, angry with conscientious objectors to World War I, burned down the Mennonite meetinghouse in Fairview, Mich. The church leaders, against their initial inclination, felt compelled by the Spirit not to pursue legal action against the arsonists. They instead focused on rebuilding the church, and tensions in the community eased.
By the Second World War, the relationship between the Mennonites and the rest of the Fairview community was stronger, and there were no similar incidents.
In 2006, many observers were shocked by the Amish response to the Nickel Mines school shooting, which left five Amish girls dead in Lancaster County, Pa. The immediate acts of forgiveness by families who lost their children to such a brutal crime went against the grain of conventional wisdom and made news throughout the United States.
Because of this commitment not only to forgiveness and individual redemption but also to building opportunities for community reconciliation, Mennonites have come to be respected in the field of conflict resolution.
Mennonites such as Howard Zehr have been influential in pushing for restorative justice programs that help resolve conflict in ways that emphasize healing victims (and offenders) of crime while repairing the relationships in their communities, instead of focusing on punitive measures that do not address victims’ needs.
Restorative justice is especially important in juvenile justice. Since youth who commit crimes are still in their formative years, they are more likely to benefit from rehabilitative practices.
Additionally, since youth have their entire lives ahead of them, it is advantageous to them (as well as to society) that they get the care they need to be healthy members of society.
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