Overcriminalization significantly undermines human flourishing and social well-being by harming the family, social networks, and social citizenship. Additionally, it prevents capable men and women from utilizing their creative capacities in the marketplace. This creates vast issues involving relations with family while incarcerated and reintegration into society after release. On the economic side, draconian cash bail systems undermine justice through basing someone's ability to attain pre-trial release upon their wealth, not their actual threat to society.
"It’s tempting to chalk up Pope Francis’s recent announcement—that the catechism has been revised to decree the death penalty as always “inadmissible”—to his perceived leftism. But that would be a mistake not only from a theological perspective, but also from a conservative one."
The American Conservative
August 9, 2018
Read More"Here the principle of justice, which demands that malefactors receive a punishment proportionate to their offense, and deterrence of this deeper sort meet. If we abolish the death penalty for even the most heinous and coldblooded murderers, we fatally undermine the idea of justice as the cornerstone of our criminal-justice system."
Wall Street Journal
August 7, 2018
Read More"'While I respect the pope’s perspective, capital punishment remains the will of the people and the law of the state of Nebraska,' Mr. Ricketts’s statement said. 'It is an important tool to protect our corrections officers and public safety. The state continues to carry out the sentences ordered by the court'."
New York Times
August 3, 2018
Read More"The Catechism of the Church, a codified doctrine which sums up teachings, had previously stated that the death penalty could be used in some cases. It now says it is 'inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person'."
BBC
August 2, 2018
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