Quickfire Debate: Justice, Retribution, and Forgiveness

Thanks to Blade for this debate! I apologize for the long-ish response time. It took longer to type up than anticipated. I will now present my case:=================================="Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness." - Marianne WilliamsonC1. Forgiveness and the Self"'A state of unforgiveness is like carrying a heavy burden--a burden that victims bring with them when they navigate the physical world...Forgiveness can lighten this burden.'" [1]Failure to forgive represents a failure to relieve yourself of pain. Suppose I am the victim of a mugging and I harbor hatred and anger towards the person who attacked me. Holding onto those negative feelings means that I become a victim of those feelings. It is as if the mugging is un-ending, that the attacker’s ability to make me feel angry or scared or hurt has not diminished, and that my life is now worse off because of that anger. I am not due those negative feelings which were inflicted on me by the mugger, but failure to forgive means that those emotional wounds will stay with me for quite some time, possibly forever, meaning that the act of mugging (already undue) would leave me with long-term emotional pain that is also not my due.Forgiveness, in terms of releasing pain, has many benefits for a person. In fact, "[l]etting go of grudges and bitterness can make way for happiness, health and peace. Forgiveness can lead to: Healthier relationships, Greater spiritual and psychological well-being, Less anxiety, stress and hostility, Lower blood pressure, Fewer symptoms of depression, Stronger immune system, Improved heart health, [and] Higher self-esteem." [2] This demonstrates that forgiveness really does assist a person in ending the emotional trauma unjustly inflicted on them by their attacker.C2. Forgiveness and the CriminalCriminals who feel repentant about what they have done may feel unable to move past their crime. They themselves may be unable to feel like anything other than a criminal, and may be haunted by that act for the rest of their lives. While no criminal should forget their crime, the lessons they acquired from it, or what it did to their victim, many should not have to be forced to constantly live in the moment of their crime. Forgiveness may release them to move on with their lives, and rejoin society as productive members, not haunted by their actions, but not given a pass on those actions as well. It is restorative justice at its finest.C3. Taking ResponsibilityCriminals who are able to be forgiven, or who operate in more forgiving criminal justice systems, tend to more directly take responsibility for their actions. Criminals are clearly due responsibility, and encouraging them to accept it themselves would likely both increase the chance that people will be held responsible for their acts and will make finding out who is responsible more easy. "Evidence from actual legal situations supports the idea that for some crimes victims will choose a different path to justice if it is available. Restorative justice programs, such as the commission established in South Africa to respond to apartheid-era violations of human rights, typically prioritize victims' needs and enable the perpetrator to tell his or her story. These elements foster a dialogue between victim and criminal that results in two important consequences: victims report high rates of satisfaction with the process, and offenders are more likely to take responsibility for their crimes." [3]C4. Instrumental GoodThe victim's forgiveness of the criminal also serves an instrumental good in the pursuit of justice, in the sense that it makes doing other things (like reconciling) easier. It is hard, for instance, to reconcile or pardon when one still harbors enmity towards the criminal. When victims are able to forgive, reconciliation can begin. So, forgiveness promotes the attainment of justice through making other actions easier or more likely.Reconciliation and pardoning have several benefits for justice. For instance, if a friend commits a wrong against me, and I cannot forgive my friend, I will be denying myself a relationship that could still be beneficial for me. Everyone makes mistakes, and preventing relationships from re-forming due to a lack of forgiveness denies all participants in that relationship any future benefits that may arise from that relationship. Additionally, if we cannot forgive, then it becomes harder to pardon. Politically speaking, no official can pardon someone who the populace feels strongly about. It requires a kind of social forgiveness to make it politically viable for an official to allow a person out of jail. In the U.S., for instance, pardoning certainly serves justice interests insofar as many people held in prison for small crimes often serve overlong sentences in poor or rough conditions, which is not their due. [4]C5. Vindication of the VictimAcknowledging the victim's power to forgive recognizes their power over the assailant or criminal, and asserts that they are the ones with power. The victim has the final say over the criminal, they can refuse to allow the criminal to haunt them and they can make forgiveness a statement of that power. Asserting the victim's rights, which are their due, is a final and very important benefit to forgiveness.Sources1 - http://www.psmag.com...2 - http://www.mayoclinic.org...3 - http://www.scientificamerican.com...4 - http://www.slate.com...Thanks again to Blade for this debate. I turn the floor over to him, now...