Religion’s Fight for Criminal Justice

[Draggingtree]

The American Conservative: Religion’s Fight for Criminal Justice The crusade for prison and sentencing reform is the ideal prototype for how faith can be a positive force in our politics.

By KELLY THOMAS • April 1, 2015

“Redemption and second chances, a fitting topic for Lent.”

With those words, Donna Brazile introduced the second morning panel of last week’s Bipartisan Summit on Criminal Justice Reform. They were emblematic of a recurring theme throughout the day: the invocation of religion. This was not a specifically religious event, rather a gathering of congressmen, governors, and nonprofits working for criminal justice reform. Nevertheless, the summit commenced with a prayer delivered to a packed auditorium of bowed heads, and none of the speakers shied away from mentioning their faith’s influence on their political opinions. Several even quoted from such sources as the Torah and the Bible in their remarks on the legislative fight for improved criminal justice processes. The summit proved to be a refreshing change of pace from the usual political interactions within the Beltway, not only because of its bipartisan nature, but also because it was such a clear demonstration of how religion and the state were designed to interact in the public square at the time of America’s founding.