Forget Them Not: A Holistic Guide to Prison Ministry

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To witness effectively and powerfully to Christian testimonies of care and compassion, of justice and mercy, of healing and wholeness, it is necessary to foster awareness of the realities of the present system of retributive justice if there is to be any hope of transformation to a system of justice which is restorative. Forget Them Not provides a history of the prison system as a means of punishment contrasting it with the relatively recent but growing practice of restorative justice. Joanne Hemenway explores the concept of disconnection as radical evil, as a separation from God who is the source of our being, and shows how our present approach to punishment fosters this evil. The present system, with its motif of retributive justice, generates shame, rejection, and loneliness which stokes the fires of anger and rage. This breeds deep disconnection which only serves to fuel further cycles of violence. Hemenway presents three vignettes designed to help explore forgiveness in the context of both retributive and restorative justice. To promote healing and connection, Forget Them Not introduces compassionate witnessing in prison ministry as a way to develop awareness and empowerment.