Do Criminals Deserve Forgiveness?

By: Ava Stone

Forgiveness is a human quality in which every person is capable of displaying, but when it comes to criminals there's a different approach to the concept. People often categorize criminals as those who don't deserve forgiveness. It is believed that these people are irredeemable in the eyes of the public. However, through the lens of Christianity, Christians are called to forgive one another and not hold vengeance which raises the question, what criminals deserve to be forgiven if any at all? And, what effect does forgiveness have on a person?

It's not a very common theme that a victim would forgive a criminal for what harm they've caused which is why the story of Botham Jean was trending in 2019. Police officer Amber Guyger was off duty when she accidentally entered Botham Jean's apartment believing it to be her own. Startled and believing he was an intruder in her home fired two shots which hit him in the chest killing him. About a year after the incident on Guyger's court date the brother of Botham Jean said he forgave Guyger and even gave her a hug asserting he didn't wish anything bad onto her. While this woman did not deserve forgiveness according to the public, Brandt Jean acted through his faith to give her forgiveness. This was controversial for countless reasons. One main point the public made was the lack of accountability for the Guyger's actions. People believed that by giving her forgiveness, it was letting her off the hook. As a white person who killed a person of color, the public had a strong belief that racism was a motive for the crime and believed it was unfitting to give her forgiveness since it invalidates the struggles people of color face especially when it comes to the justice system.

To understand why Brandt Jean forgave Guyger, it needs to be understood the different types of forgiveness. According to the study "Forgiveness, moral identity, and perceived justice in crime victims and their supporters" it was found that virtue and moral identity play a high role in predicting someone's ability to forgive. Furthermore, the study indicates how there are different ways in which we can forgive. One consists of decisional forgiveness which is a behavior used to control vengeful behaviors and emotional forgiveness is that of which negative emotions are replaced with positive emotions towards the offender. These allow feelings of anger, hate and resentment to diminish. When Brandt Jean forgave Guyger, it was an act of virtue within his own character and nothing about her deserving forgiveness. He used both decisional forgiveness and emotional forgiveness to gain the closure he needed in order to heal from this loss. While it is reasonable to conclude that Guyger did not deserve forgiveness and deserved more time in prison for what she had done, it is understandable that Brandt Jean would use this demonstration of forgiveness as a way to let go of anger and resentment.

Another study also emphasizes how forgiveness is a moral virtue. In the article "Forgiveness therapy in a maximum-security correctional institution" they took criminals and randomly assigned them to a control group or an experimental group. The experimental group received 24 weeks of forgiveness therapy, and the control patients received 24 weeks of an alternative treatment followed by forgiveness therapy. It was concluded that "Forgiveness therapy has been scientifically demonstrated to eliminate excessive anger, improve emotional well-being and relieve mental health problems." The study takes into account criminals past histories with trauma and abuse. Implementing these programs not only allows for better overall wellbeing for the prisoner but also a less likelihood of reoffending once out of jail.

Within the context of these studies, it is understandable why Brandt Jean forgave his brother's killer, because it sends the message that the offender doesn't have power over them. It is reasonably concluded that forgiveness not only allows victims and victims' families to heal, but also criminals which prevents future offenses. 

Artists Statement:

Forgiveness is an important subject in today's world because of the amount of hate that is spread on a day-to-day basis. It's a skill that all of us as humans have and are capable of demonstrating which is why I wanted to research what exactly goes into forgiveness and why some people are more likely to forgive than others especially when it comes to criminals. People are more likely to dismiss criminals because their behavior is more extreme than a minor inconvenience. I found information on a case that occurred in 2018-2019 that touched heavily on forgiveness and circled my essay around it using journal articles to support it. I found it interesting that people were so quick to judge someone for forgiving a murder especially with this person being so closely related to the victim. I wanted to learn more about the ethics that went into forgiving such a major crime and if forgiveness is justified in all circumstances.

I completed this project with a drawing of two hands reaching out to one another, one person in a jail cell and the other reaching out to them from the outside. I decided to use this image because I thought it symbolized forgiveness through the act of physically reaching out to the prisoner. I also thought this was similar in regards to the case I focused on because the victim's brother physically reached out to his killer and gave her a hug stating he forgave her. This physical interaction was important because this is a way we connect with one another and it makes the act of forgiveness all the more meaningful. I used dark colors to draw the jail cell and the bricks behind it to symbolize how dark and alone people are in prison. I thought the tone of this graphic matched well with the essay and helped tell the story in a visual way.