This past week, I returned to the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University Law School, where I earned a Masters in Dispute Resolution, for an event co-hosted by the prestigious Nootbaar Institute on Law, Religion, and Ethics.
During the event the William R. Orthwein Distinguished Professor of Law, John Haley of Washington University, presented his research on methods of handling crime in Japan that parallel the restorative justice model. Yours truly introduced Taming the Wolf as a faith-based approach to conflict resolution, while Pepperdine Law Professor Robert Cochran moderated and added insights from his experience working in the law and religion.
Professor Haley unveiled statistics showing a declining crime rate and a low rate of recidivism (compared to the U.S. and other countries) in Japan. He found the Japanese are successful in resolving and dismissing criminal justice cases during the arrest and/or prosecution stage when they bring victims and offenders together using a conciliation approach. Frequently, as a result, the victim delivers a formal written pardon that results in dismissal of the case from the criminal justice system.
Professor Haley explained how his research into the Japanese legal culture prompted him to begin to ask why our culture, with its strong Christian heritage, fails to embrace core Christian values of apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and fails to embrace a restorative approach to justice. Why, he wondered, does our culture gravitate toward retributive rather than restorative forms of justice?
As I listened I recalled events that motivated me to write Taming the Wolf. Previously, on more than one occasion, I encountered men of good will attempting to resolve a conflict within a congregation or a parish by turning to Matthew 18:15. They encountered impasses and the process stalled, which left them wondering, “How exactly do I do this?”
Such experiences caused me to recognize the need for training and education focused on “real world” approaches to applying faith to conflict resolution. My off-the-cuff response to Professor Haley’s inquiry was that, as a people, we simply lack adequate know-how. We lack a comprehensive education initiative that combines contemporary conflict resolution concepts with faith traditions.
Without such an education initiative it is difficult to garner widespread acceptance for restorative justice. One approach that would increase acceptance, it occurred to me, was to demonstrate success with conciliation and mediation training in programs such as Prison Fellowship, programs designed to re-integrate prisoners into society after they served their sentence. (Prison Fellowship was fresh on my mind, as I had shipped a copy of Taming the Wolf to them the previous week.)
If one demonstrates success working with prisoners re-entering society, the faith-based conflict resolution approach could “back into” the criminal justice system; positive outcomes would encourage application of restorative justice principles earlier and earlier in the process of administering justice.
As the presentation concluded, I was reminded of how much I appreciated the inspiring intellectual atmosphere at the Straus Institute made possible by students passionate about assuming the role of peacemaker. They provided valuable perspective for the Taming the Wolf efforts—we are one modest project among many that seek to marry conflict resolution with faith in the pursuit of greater harmony among all Brothers and Sisters.
