Compassionate Justice: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue with Two Gospel Parables on Law, Crime, and Restorative Justice

by Christopher D. Marshall

Two parables that have become firmly lodged in popular consciousness and affection are the parable of the Good Samaritan and the parable of the Prodigal Son. These simple but subversive tales have had a significant impact historically on shaping the spiritual, aesthetic, moral, and legal traditions of Western civilization, and their capacity to inform debate on a wide range of moral and social issues remains as potent today as ever. Noting that both stories deal with episodes of serious interpersonal offending, and both recount restorative responses on the part of the leading characters, Compassionate Justice draws on the insights of restorative justice theory, legal philosophy, and social psychology to offer a fresh reading of these two great parables. It also provides a compelling analysis of how the priorities commended by the parables are pertinent to the criminal justice system today. The parables teach that the conscientious cultivation of compassion is essential to achieving true justice. Restorative justice strategies, this book argues, provide a promising and practical means of attaining to this goal of reconciling justice with compassion.

386 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 2012

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book to open thoughtful conversations about the narratives that underlie our public policies and concepts of justice, Marshall's book will be good for small group study and community conversation. What is the role of compassion in criminal justice? How do we create true restorative justice? What are the narratives that we can share (and, I would add, that we need to share) shaping our public policies?

[John Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains perhaps the finest—and certainly the most extensive—discussions of Jesus’ parables of the good Samaritan and the prodigal son that I have come across. Its third section on compassion and justice also contains excellent material. Where it misses the mark, in my opinion, is drawing the connection between the parables and the practice of restorative justice. This makes it a little like reading three books—but very worthwhile all the same.

[Robert Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author’s detailed exposition of two well known parables provides an insightful analysis of restorative justice that takes the reader on a transforming journey into the application of justice and mercy in the modern world of ethics and criminal justice. I was personally deeply impacted by this book, which helped reframe my response to a challenging cultural matter I was dealing with at the time of reading.