by CCSJ Chair, Leela Ramdeen
“Not to promote the interests of prisoners would be to make imprisonment a mere act of vengeance on the part of society…For all to play their part in building the common good they must work, in the measure of their competence, to ensure that prisoners have the means to redeem themselves, both as individuals and in their relations to society.” (Blessed John Paul II, July 2000 – Message for the Jubilee on Prisons)
At the core of our belief as Catholics is our acknowledgement that God created each of us in His image and likeness. Each of us is endowed with an inherent, inviolable and inalienable dignity. This belief has implications for us as we seek to promote authentic human development of ALL humanity.
To build a culture of life, parishes must develop programmes to assist the victims of crime and their families in our country. And while we believe that those who commit crimes should be held accountable, as Catholics, we have a duty to play our part in their rehabilitation and to reach out also to their families. The social justice principle of “Solidarity” means “we are all really responsible for all”. As our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, we embrace a Restorative Justice approach to criminal justice.
We can and must reach out to assist those who have strayed from the right path. That is how we will build community and the common good. It is no use wringing our hands saying that between 60 % – 65% of those who leave our prisons reoffend, when we do little or nothing to assist them and their families while they are incarcerated or when they are released.
This is why CCSJ and Fr Robert Christo, who is in charge of our Archdiocese’s Prison Ministry and the Walk Tall Programme, continue to work to ensure that Catholics reach out to those who have offended to help them turn their lives around and to live productive lives as God intended.
CCSJ and the Trinidad & Tobago Reintegration Centre urge you to purchase a ticket for TT $450 for our Fundraising Dinner at Skippers Restaurant, Bayshore, on May 19 from 7:30 p.m., or make a donation to meet the running cost of the Anthony Pantin Reintegration Centre (APRC). Call: 290-1635 or 299-8945 for more information. The Society of St Vincent de Paul came to CCSJ’s rescue when we needed people to run the APRC on a day-to-day basis.
We are people of faith. We must not underestimate the value of the kind of collaboration that goes on in our Archdiocese. We are all working towards the same vision of building a civilisation of love. God’s love, forgiveness and His mercy extend to all His children.
Jesus came so that all of us – including those who have sinned, may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). I urge the Catholic business community to consider employing former inmates and training them so that they can engage in productive work.
CCSJ also urges our Commissioner of Prisons, Mr Martinez, and his team to reflect on the words of Blessed John Paul II who said in 2000: “To make prison life more human it is more important than ever to take practical steps to enable prisoners as far as possible to engage in work which keeps them from the degrading effects of idleness.”
Love of God and of neighbour must lead us to seek to restore fractured relationships in society. We love the sinner, not the sin. Let’s help the sinner return to God’s loving arms.
When a crime is committed our entire country is affected. If we are to keep our Centre (APRC) for former inmates open, we need funds to meet running costs. Your generosity will go some way to keep the Centre going. We also ask you to pray for those who are victims of crime; for the perpetrators of these crimes; for those incarcerated; for all families affected; for our country and our world that God’s peace will reign in the hearts and minds of us, his children.
Let’s “seek approaches that understand crime as a threat to community, not just a violation of law; that demand new efforts to rebuild lives, not just build more prisons; and that demonstrate a commitment to re-weave a broader social fabric of respect for life, civility, responsibility, and reconciliation.” (US Bishops’ document: Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice (2000).
