The Hurt with Fetters Podcast

Episode 15: Conclusion

In this concluding episode, Author Jason Karch calls us back to the Gospel and the biblical basis for criminal justice.

Episode 14: A Reflection on Rights!

What do we mean when we say a person has 'rights'?  From where do those rights come?  Who ensures that a person's rights are not violated?  What happens to those rights when a person is convicted of a crime and sent to prison, or does a prisoner have rights?  All these questions and more are considered in this episode with author Jason Karch, hosted by pastor Greg Smith.

Episode 13: A Reflection on Forgiveness!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ makes forgiveness available to all who will receive it.  While God is Just, He also is a forgiving God and He offers forgiveness to all.  But is there any place for forgiveness in the current narrative of Criminal Justice? In this episode, author Jason Karch argues that for there to be true justice as modeled by God, then restoration, reconciliation, restitution and yes, forgiveness, must be offered and made possible to be received by the offender who violates the law.

Episode 12: A Reflection on Dehumanization!

The administration of justice in our culture tends to dehumanize the offender, or the one convicted of a crime, so that just about any thing that is done to him is considered warranted.  In this powerful episode, author Jason Karch speaks to this tendency and the theological implications that it carries with it.

Episode 11: A Reflection on Punishment!

The punishment of crime in America has little to do with justice.  The word 'Justice' has become only a by-word that is used to validate a practice that is altogether relative and arbitrary.  One needs only look at the disparity that can be found in how similar or identical crimes are punished.  Author Jason Karch discusses the deeper issue that is exposed in this disparity, namely the denial of the humanity of the one who has committed the crime.