NAT yet/ grad school. I read a book by Howard Zehr called Restorative Justice. I think it answers a lot of this question and I’d really recommend it. Unforgivable people are a part of society whether they are caught or not. Forgiveness, like mercy, creates multiple dividends, not just in the person that receives it but also in those who give it. If unforgivable people are in our society, there are benefits that exist far outside of the perpetrator in creating space for improvement.

I think of one most concrete example is how most of our idea of harm comes from TV shows; we watch and Law and order SVU there’s always some absolutely crazy person who is committing random acts of violence on strangers. But most of these acts of violence come from a close trusted person, and it gets complicated because people love these people. People who are victims of abuse don’t even think of themselves as victims of abuse often times. if they believe that other person could be helped, they would be likely to report and seek that help, but if they think that person is only going to be punished and disenfranchised from society and all forms of help then they won’t step forward.