The Focus of Criminal Justice and Scripture
The criminal justice system aims to secure order through deterrence, punishment, and safeguarding society. It focuses on punishing and apprehending criminals and tends to be measured in terms of conviction rates and sentence outcomes (Corda, 2025). The system’s structure also focuses on retributive justice to comply with law standards. For instance, drug offense mandatory minimum sentence policy emphasizes the system’s punitive approach rather than rehabilitative capacity: The Focus of Criminal Justice and Scripture.
Restorative justice restores both the victim and the community through the offender’s accountability and reconciliation. It focuses on restitution and reintegration and calls for offenders to take responsibility and make amends. Restorative justice balances the interests of the victim, the community, and the offender, encouraging healing and not alienation (Romero-Seseña, 2025). A good example is the Victim-Offender Mediation Program, through which both parties engage and talk about the harm and decide on reparative action.
Criminal procedure prioritizes safeguarding accused individuals’ constitutional rights through fair treatment according to the law. It offers protections like the right to counsel, resistance against illegal searches and seizures, and the right against self-incrimination. These procedural protections underpin government restraint and avert justice from being compromised at the altar of expediency. For instance, Miranda set the precedent that suspects should be told their rights before questioning, exemplifying the focus on due process (Mason & Mason, 2023).
These views may initially appear contradictory but can be harmonized by developing criminal procedures that maintain rights and promote restorative justice results. Scripture calls for a vision of justice that embraces mercy, justice, and the changing of both victim and offender. As Micah 6:8 states: “He has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does Jehovah require of you, but to do justly and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” (Modern Literal Version Old Testament Bible, 2015, Micah 6:8). Courts may integrate victim participation and community programs into the procedural framework. Restorative justice may complement the criminal process through healing, accountability, and judicial adjudication.
References
Corda, A. (2025). THE LEGITIMACY OF CRIMINAL LAW AND THE PERFORMANCE CRISES OF PENALITY. Criminal Law Forum. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10609-025-09509-2
Mason, R. D., & Mason, M. (2023). Reconsidering Miranda rights: Modeling strategic action during the invocation stage of a police interrogation. Rationality and Society, 36(1), 122–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/10434631231194521
Modern Literal Version Old Testament Bible. (2015). MLV. https://dir.sermon-online.com/english/Bible/The_Old_Testament_Modern_Literal_Version_20151029.pdf
Romero-Seseña, P. (2025). Framing European National Policies on Restorative Justice: A frame analysis approach. International Criminology, 5, 115–127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-025-00161-9
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Question 
Overview:
The focus of the criminal justice system and scripture sometimes align but not always. Sometimes there are “competing perspectives” in the criminal justice system but there are certain “Biblical Perspectives,” as well, one of which is restorative justice.
Restorative justice focuses on restoring the victim by making the offender compensate the victim for the wrong and adding some punishment. Numbers 5:6–7 highlights this principle very well. “Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord, that person is guilty and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged” (NIV 1984). There is also a secondary emphasis of reintegrating offenders back into society.
The Focus of Criminal Justice and Scripture
However, the topic of this course is Criminal Procedure. By nature, criminal procedure is “rights-based.” This is because much of the law comes from the Constitution, which was drafted to enumerate the powers of government. This limits government behavior to only those listed powers, but the Constitution also clearly lays out some rights (but not all) of states and citizens, particularly certain criminal procedure rights. As such, it can be said that criminal procedure focuses on the offender’s rights and government behavior.
Instructions:
- Based on your practical and educational experience, what is the focus of the criminal justice system, restorative justice, or criminal rights? Give specific examples. Can these seemingly competing perspectives be better harmonized?