St. Louis Catholic group urges alternatives to prison sentences

Published: 2004-12-09

ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- The criminal justice ministry of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in St. Louis is marking its 25th anniversary by informing Catholics about the need to promote alternatives to prison sentences for those convicted of nonviolent crimes. Representatives of the ministry -- which serves prisoners, their families, victims and others in the criminal justice system -- visited 25 parishes this fall to educate people about alternatives such as getting treatment for those convicted of drug possession and making shoplifters repay stores. Promoting repayment and treatment will not only assist people convicted of a crime turn their lives around but also will save tax money spent on incarceration, those involved in the ministry say. "We ought to really start looking at options," said Sister Carleen Reck, a School Sister of Notre Dame and director of the criminal justice ministry. "For drug possession, why not have treatment centers instead of prisons? For shoplifting, why not repayment instead?" Another idea is to open some kind of sheltered workshop where offenders could be employed in the community while paying restitution.

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