American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Patrica Watson, Editor Sara Burke, Assistant Editor Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Every day when I pick up my newspaper I read about crime.
Few people ask more basic questions about whether punishment ought to be our main concern.
Even fewer seem genuinely concerned about victims and what they need. Consequently, victims' needs and wishes continue to be ignored. Prisons are massively crowded, and the death penalty is back with a vengeance. The costs to us as taxpayers keep soaring. Actually, there is good reason why we ignore victims and focus instead on more punishment for offenders.