TED Talks Daily How forgiveness can create a more just legal system | Martha Minow
Mar 30, 2020
Martha Minow, a law professor, dives into the powerful intersection of forgiveness and justice. She highlights how current tools like pardons can perpetuate inequality instead of fostering healing. The discussion touches on a poignant story of forgiveness in the face of tragedy and critiques societal pressures on marginalized communities. Minow advocates for restorative justice as a means to transform the treatment of juvenile offenders, emphasizing community involvement and fairness. She also examines the complexities of forgiveness in legal frameworks and historical contexts.
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Legal System's Focus on Punishment
- The legal system leans too heavily on punishment and overlooks forgiveness.
- Lawyers and officials often neglect tools like pardons and commutations.
Legal Tools for Forgiveness
- Forgiveness, or letting go of justified grievances, has legal tools.
- These include pardons, commutations, expungement, bankruptcy, and discretion by legal officials.
Bias in Forgiveness Application
- Existing legal forgiveness tools can perpetuate racial and class disparities.
- White individuals are historically pardoned four times more often than minorities for the same crimes.