Reconciling Offenders, Victims and the Community
Public policy should be responsive to the needs of crime victims.
We support public programs involving churches and local communities to assist crime victims. Programs should be promoted that offer an opportunity for victims to be heard, and for offenders to accept responsibility.
Correctional policies and programs should reflect restorative justice principles that promote the successful return of the offender to society.
Community alternatives should be utilized which protect the public and enhances rehabilitation, and prison space should be allocated for those individuals who endanger society. The MCC supports alternative sentencing options such as drug courts, probation and parole, and reparation boards to rehabilitate offenders and address the root causes of their criminal activity. The MCC supports the Missouri Re-entry Process where the state works with individual offenders and the local community in preparing a plan for their successful re-entry into society. Parole decisions should be based on an offender’s successful rehabilitation efforts.
Family involvement should be encouraged to promote offender rehabilitation.
Family visits should be encouraged to facilitate the relationship between inmates and their families. The inmate phone contract should allow frequent family contact. When feasible, offenders should be housed within reasonable proximity to their families.
The state of Missouri should be responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of offenders.
A fundamental obligation of government is to protect the public. The MCC opposes the establishment of privately owned and operated correctional facilities. Decisions concerning privatizing services such as health care and the provision of food should not be based solely upon cost-effective criteria but should first consider the humane treatment of offenders.
|
