Forgiveness In The Criminal Justice System | Judge Sheila D.J. Calloway | TEDxNashville

Is it possible to have forgiveness in the Criminal Justice System? With a system of Restorative Justice, all of those who were harmed (victims, families, community) have an opportunity to collectively work with offenders to achieve both accountability and restoration moving everyone towards forgiveness.
Sheila Calloway, a native of Louisville, KY, came to Nashville, Tennessee in 1987 to attend Vanderbilt University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1991 and her Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1994 both from Vanderbilt University. After graduating from law school, Sheila Calloway worked at the Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office in both the adult system as well as the juvenile system. In January 2004, she was appointed by Judge Betty Adams Green to the position of Juvenile Court Magistrate and served in that position until November 2013, when she announced her intention to run for the position of Juvenile Court Judge. She was elected Juvenile Court Judge in August 2014. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University where she teaches both in the Undergraduate and Law Schools.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@bcleeanderson]

What a brilliant, broad-minded innovator!

[@Nadiipp]

yES YeS YES !!! Restorative and empowering processes awaken the inner intrinsic person we like in ourself and shine a light through our eyes into the eyes of the other.

[@theluckiesteh9058]

We definitely need this....

[@drublod530]

I have a solution, hear me out. What if we changed our fines and sentencing guidelines in our judicial system to NOT a standard 1 size fits all fine. What if we change it to when your fined, your fined on a percentage of your NET WORTH? If ones commits a crime and is caught they are fined according to their Net Worth. That way it will hurt the wealthy just as much as it would hurt the poor. Wealthy people would no longer blatantly commit crimes thinking they can easily pay there way out. Wealthy people and people in power might just see how unfair and make some meaningful change if this were in place.

[@chrisulmer694]

Excellent speech! All good points made and I agree 100%.

[@ThePzrLdr]

There are people who are judges that are not qualified to be even a clerk. I don't believe in the prison system because it only makes better criminals. It does not reform bad behavior, it never has.

[@meboneme1]

What would you suggest? HOW would you handle criminals? The PRISON system doesn't work, I believe, simply because it is like home for MANY of them. Make prison what it should be and it might deter some from going. I KNOW so many that go to jail OVER and OVER again. They have many of home's comforts, like "balanced" meals, TV, even tablets, sleep all day!. Bring back the CHAINGANG!

[@jenniferswann5471]

@@meboneme1 uh no

[@pikira2246]

I agree, most people in society are very bloodthirsty for revenge

[@leravishaynes1845]

I like her and her attitude. I know a little something about forgiveness myself and she's got the right attitude but can EVERYONE get it? I hope so but seems like a longshot.

[@amymuchko7106]

Amen

[@anthonyscuteri6763]

I learned that restorative justice can work its just a steeping stone to straighten out the criminal justice system.

[@melanieslavin4632]

brilliant

[@MA-jx6in]

I like that system , but the justice system for adults is staggering cut and dry system

[@therealsandraweise]

For some victims that just want acknowledgement and apology, VERSUS INVOLVING THE COURTS AT ALL... there should be laws supporting a restorative justice mediation process that doesn't involve the courts at all. Many victims don't want the person who harmed them to go to jail at all but can't live with doing nothing. So, they are forced to go to these failed tyrannical court systems to be further victimized.

[@jesisoria1195]

Hindi ako andto para makipag away, andto ako para gumawa ng school activity👉🥺👈 -jesi2021

[@lydiahubbell6278]

I like to express myself through song, too. I really want to like this woman, but I need "restorative justice" for the suffering she caused my little girl.

[@rayofhappiness9490]

What suffering?

[@iMatti00]

Two points. First, people who can forgive atrocities committed by others - especially when they become friends with the person who murdered their family member (even though that wasn’t discussed in this video) - I feel like that is a great person, greater than I. Second, but I don’t think you have to forgive someone in order to move on. Maybe you do, but I don’t think so.

[@allienewstorm1951]

First of all, let me thank you for bringing up this very controversial and important issue. Personally I believe that our communities are not ready to meet in this counseling circle and come up with unified, just and objective remedies. However, I deeply agree, and I say thank you once again for speaking that out loud, that the person who suffered, the victim, shall be the centerpiece of the whole process. It’s victim’s interests and ability to lead the life as it were that shall be considered first.

[@kaspersway7009]

Most justice would be stopping a sinner or criminal, repeatedly I will be able to forgive the defendant after due process.most adults defendants are given all the programs to rehabilitation that is the victims money ,time, courts job to help ,care for a victim not a sinner or criminal 🚧🛑...

[@scotashton766]

Sounds good... what happens when it doesn’t work and the people who are trying to lead and teach and do good things have their energy taken away by the people who are also taking away the rights of others to learn? Are you telling me that all of a sudden everyone’s going to get along and everyone’s going to want to learn or are we going to have to continually play we’ll talk circles while two or three students are still disruptive but we have to work through their problems at the expense of others? This is a fair question. I want the best for all people. If I’m cleaning my house that does not give someone the right to take a walk through there with all muddy shoes and I’m supposed to smile and sit down and talk with them about it? Poor allegory? Ask the student who was a B minus student may be a C+ who keeps getting interrupted... by Those people we have to forgive and just keep going on with life and suddenly they’re supposed to stop doing their offenses towards the common good? The well-being of the nation in tribe exceeds that of the individual and we would do well in the western world to look at the general welfare as the forefathers stated in the preamble rather than individual rights doing whatever they damn well please superseding common sense!

[@elaheh8637]

As stated in this talk, forgiveness is an act of self-preservation. You don’t do it for the offender, you do it for the sake of your own mental health. You don’t forgive the person with the muddy shoes because they deserve it, you forgive them because you deserve peace of mind and being angry towards that person would cause you more harm than the offender. Retribution/punishment/revenge is an impulsive discharge of primitive emotions, it has been practiced in criminal system for ages and it hasn’t been effective in the correction of the criminal behaviours nor the mental recovery of victim. Why continue with a system that has failed when there are other forms of applying justice?

[@thesacredibis6723]

The biblical concept of forgiveness is an essential way for a victim to release the burden the harm has placed on them and move forward with their life.

[@therealsandraweise]

I 100% DISAGREE. Keep your religious harm and further shame.

[@therealsandraweise]

Forgiveness is irrelevant to the topic.

[@theopholistpunuval3594]

Hippie idealism