Interpretation of the judge’s verdict from the prison chaplain’s point of view

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of the judicial ruling is to enforce important norms for the benefit of society. The judge’s decision is a message to the society and to the convict. It is the vocation of the prison chaplain to give spiritual support to the prisoner so that he correctly understands the message of the legal sanction imposed on him. In the study, we are looking for what alignment points Catholic Christian teaching provides in the interpretation of the judge’s verdict.
Methodology: The author is a moral theologian who has been serving as a prison chaplain for a decade, so he looks for the answer to the question raised in the light of religious studies, based on its method and sources, and also based on personal pastoral experience.
Findings: The judicial verdict carries with it the frailties of human judgement. It helps to understand and accept the judge’s verdict if we look at it in the context of God’s plans for us. God’s will is revealed by the conscience in the soul of every person - in relation to the past, the present and the future. The prison chaplain is a professional supporter of a good conscience through presence, words and sacraments.
Value: The study reaches practical conclusions, which, however, are based on a theory that crosses disciplines. It calls for the interpretation of a legal fact in the light of theology and offers the possibility of a true scientific synthesis.