The overall philosophy of a Biblical worldview on the criminal justice professional
A worldview means how the world is viewed and valued by an individual. Therefore, a person who maintains a Christian worldview seeks to be Christ-like. Simply put, a Biblical worldview relates to having Christ’s mind, and its standards are based on scriptures. Besides, a Christian worldview is different from the view of the world. As provided in Romans 12:2, Paul is urging Christians not to conform to the world’s pattern but to be transformed by the renewal of their mind for them to test and approve of God’s will. Christians should uphold their worldview and sanctify their views from that of the world that some refer to as deceptive philosophy. Therefore, this paper looks at how the Christian perspective influences a criminal justice professional’s actions when applying Strategic Intelligence practices.
The law enforcement profession requires integrity and honor. While human’s justice has its limitations due to man’s imperfection, the justice of God is redemptive. For instance, while responding to Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God demonstrated His for His creation. It shows that Biblical justice is not vindictive as that of men can be due to the limitations. God did not condemn His creation to merciless death but showed that He cares as is also illustrated in Genesis 3:21, where He even clothed them. God’s justice is the expression of love, even in the face of evil. However, Biblical justice’s seriousness is also demonstrated through God’s use of capital punishment to deal with the rampant evil in humanity in Genesis 8:20-9:17.
Also, the Mosaic laws, such as those in Exodus, act as the foundation of justice and morality in Israel, especially concerning the violent culture. During this period, the neighboring nations of Israel were brutal, and the generally peaceful nature of Israel’s society could be credited to the Mosaic Law, thereby presenting a more potent justice model. Some of the characteristics of this model included restitution. For instance, Exodus 21:23-25 provides for the principle of an eye for an eye. While it can be considered a punishment provision exclusively, the offender is also protected from excessive punishment and instead, the punishment is limited by equating it to the consequence.
The legitimate Biblical justice is concerned with relationships and human life preservation as opposed to procedure and repayment. Furthermore, the Mosaic Law demonstrates justice’s dual-purpose by preserving both the offender and the victim and protecting the vulnerable in society (Bounds, 2015). The duality is seen in both a negative aspect of prohibiting people from doing bad things and the positive aspect of helping the vulnerable, weak, and oppressed. Therefore, Biblical justice under Mosaic law goes beyond stopping evil and ensures good is actively done.
As for the New Testament, God’s justice can be seen through the death and resurrection of Jesus and His interactions and work. The New Testament also illustrates humanity’s fallen nature and the response of God. In Romans 3:23-25, although everyone is a sinner and are not worthy of the glory of God, God’s grace justifies them, and their redemption is through Christ Jesus. It shows how God’s justice is full of love and relationship that, in John 3:16, “He gave His only son” instead of sending humanity into damnation. Based on the life and teachings of Jesus, one can also see Him build on the Mosaic law. For instance, while Exodus 22:21-24 requires that people care for the vulnerable, Jesus expands this in Mathew 6:1 by introducing the humility element. Therefore, Biblical justice requires that one serves others out of love and not selfish desires (Bounds, 2015). Also, even though the life of Jesus was always guided by love, He did not fail to confront the Pharisees for their corrupt ways and hypocrisy (Mathew 23:13-33).
The Biblical worldview and the philosophy of Strategic Intelligence
In intelligence-led policing, the emphasis is placed on criminal groups, prolific offenders, repeat victims, and crime hot spots, thereby facilitating reduction, prevention, and disruption in crime and harm. This policing is premised on the idea of partnering with the community to give offenders a chance to change their behavior before being arrested for a more serious offense because of the possibility of identifying potential repeat offenders and potential victims (Ratcliffe, 2016). It includes predictive policing that entails determining when a crime may happen, and the location and focuses on preventing victimization. Therefore, it can help in crime prevention and thwarting of a crime as a strategic intelligence method.
There are various drivers of intelligence-led policing. First, increased data continue to influence the process of decision making to better articulate and justify strategies (Ratcliffe, 2016). Second, there is an increased need to manage risk or risky places and people due to factors such as radical extremism. Third, there is a demand gap due to police numbers vis-à-vis the significant increase in the crime rate (Lum & Nagin, 2017). Other factors include technological developments and organized and transnational crime.
Consequently, strategic intelligence in the criminal justice system provides a special opportunity for meeting the extraordinary needs of desperate people. Also, Christianity and the criminal system share significant similarities in the concept of justice (Bullock & Johnson, 2018). Criminal justice seeks to serve and protect the public from harm, which denotes that the relevant agencies ought to respond to the occurrence of an offense and execute justice. Mathew 5:9 states that peacemakers are blessed, thereby creating a link between redemption in God and the mission of peace. According to the verse, such people shall be called sons of God. Through strategic intelligence and combating crime, the agencies seek to ensure security and peace in communities (Ratcliffe, 2016). The current policing technique focuses on building relationships with communities, thereby ensuring the population’s well-being and safety.
Conclusion
Biblical justice emphasizes redemption and restoration as vital components of justice. While strategic intelligence involves policing that seeks to fight crime and help the vulnerable, Christian professionals in the justice system should navigate policing in a manner that depicts true justice and glorifies God. Therefore, the Christian perspective expands the execution of justice through strategic intelligence since it requires love as a component, thereby respecting 1 John 4:8 and Mathew 22:37-40.