The Catholic Lawyer

Crime and Punishment: A Catholic Perspective

By: Joseph L. Falvey, Jr.

The article examines the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice, issued in November 2000. The author argues that the USCCB “failed to recognize the Catholic Church’s appreciation of retribution as a basis for punishment,” and maintains that such a failure “risks causing the USCCB to advance unsound policies related to crime and punishment.”