How forgiveness can create a more just legal system | Martha Minow

譯者: Hei Yu Chan 審譯者: Helen Chang

Would you ever forgive a person who kills a member of your family?

妳會原諒殺害妳家人的人嗎？

In September of 2019,

在 2019 年 9 月，

Dallas police officer Amber Guyger was sentenced for murder,

達拉斯警員安柏·蓋格被判謀殺罪，

and then the brother of the victim

緊接著，受害者的弟弟，

forgave her.

寬恕了她。

Brandt Jean was 18 years old,

布蘭特·基恩那時才 18 歲。

and I joined the rest of the country watching on television in awe

我和全國其他人一起透過電視

見證了這個慈悲的行為 並深感敬佩。

at that act of grace.

But I also worried.

但我也擔心。

I worried that people who are African American like Brandt Jean

我擔心像布蘭特·基恩 這樣的非洲裔美國人

are expected to forgive more often than other people.

比其他人更經常被期望要原諒。

And I worried that a white police officer like Amber Guyger

我也擔心像安柏·蓋格 這樣的白人警員，

receives a lesser sentence

比起犯了同樣不法殺人的其他人

than other people who commit wrongful killings.

得到的刑罰會更輕。

But because I'm a law professor,

但，因為我是法律教授，

I also worried about the law itself.

我也擔心法律本身。

The law leans so severely towards punishment these days

目前法律嚴重地傾向於懲罰，

that it's part of the problem.

這就是問題的一部分。

And that's what I want to talk about here.

這便是我在這想要談的主題。

The powerful example of one individual's forgiveness

此人寬恕行為的力證

makes me worry that lawyers and officials too often overlook the tools

讓我擔心這會使 律師和官員經常地忽略

法律本身是為了容許寬恕 而創造出來的工具，

that law itself creates to allow forgiveness,

when the principle should be the cornerstone of a thriving society.

其原則本應是繁榮社會的基石。

I worry that lawyers and officials do not adequately use the tools of forgiveness,

我擔心律師和官員 未妥善使用寬恕的工具，

by which I mean letting go of justified grievance.

意思是對正當的冤屈鬆手。

And those tools are many.

這樣的工具並不少，

They include pardons, commutations, expungement,

包括赦免、減刑、塗銷犯罪記錄、

bankruptcy for debt

債務破產，

and the discretion that's held by police and prosecutors and judges.

以及警方、公訴人及法官的酌情權。

But I also worry -- I worry a lot --

但，我也擔心—— 我擔心的事很多——

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

I worry that these tools, when used, replicate the disparities,

我擔心使用這些工具時 同樣會造成差別待遇，

the inequities along the lines of race and class and other markers

基於種族、階級

和其他各種劃分強勢與弱勢的標記 所產生的不平等。

of advantage and disadvantage.

Biases or privileged access are at work

當美國總統赦免罪犯時，

when United States presidents pardon people charged with crimes.

偏見和特權也在起作用。

Historically, white people are pardoned four times as often

歷史記錄顯示白人被赦免的比例 是少數族群的四倍，

as members of minority groups for the same crime, same sentence.

指的是在同樣罪行與判刑的情況下。

Forgiveness between individuals is supported by every religious tradition,

個人之間的寬恕受到各種宗教傳統，

各種哲學傳統所支持。

every philosophic tradition.

And medical evidence now shows

現在的醫學證據顯示，

the health benefits of letting go of grievances and resentments.

放下不滿和仇恨 對我們的健康是有益處的。

As Nelson Mandela led South Africa's transition

當納爾遜·曼德拉領導南非

from apartheid to democracy,

從種族隔離走向民主時，

he explained,

他解釋道：

"Resentment is like drinking a poison and hoping it will kill your enemies."

「仇恨就像是自己喝下毒藥 卻希望它能殺死你的敵人。」

Law can remove the penalties for those who apologize and seek forgiveness.

法律能夠為願意道歉 並尋求寬恕者免除刑罰。

For example, in 39 states in the United States

比如，在美國的 39 個州

and the District of Columbia,

以及哥倫比亞特區中，

there are laws that allow medical professionals to apologize

有法律允許醫療專業人員

在出問題時道歉，

when something goes wrong

and not fear that that statement could later be used against them

便不用害怕道歉的內容 會在後續的損害訴訟中

in an action for damages.

被用作指控他們的不利證據。

More actively, bankruptcy law offers debtors, under some conditions,

更主動的是破產法， 在某些條件下，

the chance to start anew.

給予債務人重新開始的機會。

Pardons and expungements sealing criminal records can, too.

赦免和塗銷犯罪記錄也能如此。

I have been teaching law for almost 40 years, hard to believe,

我教法律近四十年， 雖然很難以置信，

but recently, I realized

但我最近意識到

that we don't teach law students about the tools of forgiveness

我們沒有把法律制度內的 有關寬恕的工具

that are within the legal system,

教給學習法律的學生，

and nor do law schools usually explore

法學院通常也不會探索

the potential for new avenues for forgiveness

法律可以採用或協助的

that law can adopt or assist.

新的寬恕途徑。

These are lost opportunities.

這些都是錯失了的機會，

These are lost obligations, even,

甚至可說是錯失了的義務，

because the students that I teach

因為我教的這些學生

will become prosecutors, judges, governors, presidents.

將來會成為檢察官、 法官、州長、總統。

Barack Obama, my former student,

巴拉克·歐巴馬以前是我的學生，

used his power as the President of the United States to give pardons.

他曾用身為美國總統的權力特赦。

That released several hundred people from prison after the law changed

在法律被修改後， 數百人被從監獄釋放出，

to provide shorter sentences for the same drug crimes

因為他們當初被定罪的毒品犯罪

for which they had been convicted.

相對應的刑期已經被縮短。

But if he hadn't used his pardon power, they would still be in prison.

但如果他那時沒有使用他的赦免權， 這些人現在仍會在獄中。

Legal tools of forgiveness should be used more,

法律内寬恕的工具 應該更經常被使用，

but not without reason and not with bias.

但是必須有理由，必須沒有偏見。

A "New Yorker" cartoon shows a judge with a big nose and a big mustache

《紐約客》雜誌有個漫畫， 上面的法官有著大鼻子和大鬍鬚，

looking down at a defendant with the exact same nose

他向下看著被告， 被告也長著和他完全相同的鼻子

and exact same mustache

和完全相同的鬍鬚，

and says, "Obviously not guilty."

然後法官說：「很明顯，無罪。」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Forgiveness could undermine the commitment that law has

寬恕有可能會逐漸動搖 法律自身的承諾：

to treat people the same under the same circumstances,

在同樣的境況下 一視同仁地對待人民，

to apply rules evenly.

公正的應用法例條文。

In this age of resentment, mass incarceration,

在這個充滿仇恨、大量監禁、

widespread consumer debt,

消費債務氾濫的時代，

we need more forgiveness, but we need a philosophy of forgiveness.

我們需要更多寬恕， 但我們更需要寬恕的哲學。

We need to forgive fairly.

我們必須公平地寬恕。

Contrast the treatment globally of child soldiers

我們來將全世界童兵所受到的待遇

with the treatment of juvenile offenders in the United States.

和美國少年犯罪者 受到的待遇做個比較。

International human rights condemn and punish adults

國際人權會譴責並懲罰那些

who involve children in armed conflict

讓孩童涉入武裝衝突的成人，

as those most responsible,

認為他們最應該為此負責，

but treat the children themselves quite differently.

但對待那些孩童則截然不同。

The International Criminal Court,

國際刑事法院

now with 122 member nations,

目前有 122 個會員國，

convicted Thomas Lubanga, warlord in the [Democratic Republic of the] Congo,

該法庭將剛果民主共和國的 軍閥托馬斯·盧班加定罪，

for enlisting, recruiting and deploying children, teens, as soldiers.

因為他招募孩童和青少年從軍，

把他們作為戰士部署在戰場上。

Many nations commit to ensuring that people under the age of 15

許多國家保證會確保

十五歲以下的青少年不會成為童兵，

do not become child soldiers,

and most nations treat those who do become soldiers

而且大部分國家不會把 那些已經成為童兵的孩子

not as objects of punishment

視為懲罰的對象，

but as people deserving a fresh start.

而是認為他們理應得到 重新開始的機會。

Compare and contrast how the United States treats juvenile offenders,

與之比較，我們可以看到美國 是如何對待少年犯罪者的。

where we severely punish minors,

我們會嚴厲懲罰未成年人，

often moving them to adult courts, even adult prisons.

經常會把他們送上成人法庭， 甚至送進成人監獄。

And yet, like child soldiers,

然而，就像童兵一樣，

teens and children are drawn into violent activity in the United States

在美國，青少年和孩童 被捲入暴力活動中

when there are few options,

是因為當時他們 沒什麼選擇、受到威脅，

when they are threatened

or when adults induce them with money or ideology.

或是受到成年人 意識形態或金錢的引誘。

The rhetoric of innocence is resonant when we talk about child soldiers,

談論童兵時，有關天真無邪的 華麗的辭藻得到所有人的共鳴，

but not when we talk about teen gang members in the United States.

但談論美國青少年 幫派成員時卻不是這樣。

Yet in both settings, youth are caught in worlds that are made by adults,

但在這兩種情境中，年輕人 都是被困在了成人製造的世界中，

and forgiveness can offer both accountability and fresh starts.

而寬恕能讓他們 擔起責任，重新開始。

What if, instead, young people caught in criminal activity and violence

如果換個方式，被逮到從事 犯罪活動和暴力行為的年輕人

could have chances to accept responsibility

能有機會在邊學習邊重建 自己的生活與社區的過程中

while learning and rebuilding their lives and their own communities?

去學習承擔責任，那會怎麼樣呢？

Legal frameworks inviting youth to describe their conduct

在法律框架內邀請 這些年輕人描述其行為，

could also involve community members to hear and forgive.

也可涉及社區成員的傾聽和原諒他們。

Called "restorative justice,"

這些被稱為「恢復司法行為」的措施

such efforts emphasize accountability and service

更強調責任和服務

rather than punishment.

而非懲罰。

Many schools in the United States have turned to use restorative justice methods

美國許多的學校已經開始 推行恢復司法的方法

to resolve conflicts and to prevent them,

來解決矛盾和防止衝突，

and to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.

從而瓦解從學校到監獄 這個發展路徑。

Some American high schools have replaced automatic suspensions

一些美國高中已經 取消了自動停學的措施，

with opportunities for victims to narrate their experiences

取而代之的是讓受害者 有機會講述他們的經歷，

and for offenders to take responsibility for their actions.

也提供機會讓加害者 為他們的行為負責。

As they describe their experiences and feelings about a theft

當他們在表述他們的 各種經歷和感覺時，

像是偷竊、仇恨的塗鴉、 言語或身體的暴力，

or hateful graffiti or a verbal or physical assault,

the victims and offenders often express strong emotions.

受害者和加害者經常很激動。

And other members of the community take turns

接著由其他的社區成員輪流

describing the impact of the offense on them.

來表述這些罪行對他們產生的影響。

The leader is often a student peer, who is trained to deescalate the conflict

這種聚會的帶領者 通常是同齡的學生同儕，

他們受過訓練，知道怎樣緩和衝突，

and orchestrate a conversation about what the offender can do

並且精心協調安排

加害者能夠做些什麼 來幫助受害者的對話。

that would help the victim.

Together, they come to an agreement about how to move forward,

他們達成共識

未來要如何向前，

what the wrongdoer can do to repair the injury

犯錯的人如何彌補傷害，

and what all could do to better avoid future conflicts.

大家如何避免未來的衝突。

Consider this example, recently in a publication.

再來思考最近在出版物中 出現的這個例子，

A young woman named Mercedes M. transferred, in California,

一位新轉來入學，名叫 梅賽德斯·M 的年輕女子，

她在加州的中學多次轉學，

from one high school to another

after she was so repeatedly suspended in her old high school

由於在原來的高中多次打架 因此被多次停學，

for getting into fights.

最後，她只能轉校。

And here in her new high school,

就在她就讀的新的高中，

two other young women accused her of lying

另外兩名女生指責她撒謊，

and called her the b-word.

並用髒話罵她。

A counselor came over and talked to her and earned enough trust

一個顧問與她對談， 贏得她足夠的信任

that she acknowledged she had stolen the shoes of one of the other classmates.

結果她承認她偷了 其中一個同學的鞋子。

Turns out, the three of them had known each other for a long time,

事情其實是這樣： 她們三個彼此相識很久了，

and they didn't know any other way to deal with each other

但是除了打架之外，

她們不知道如何與對方相處。

other than to fight.

The facilitator invited them to participate in a circle,

於是協調人邀請她們參加一個聚會，

a confidential conversation about what happened,

是個討論事情真相的秘密談話聚會。

and they agreed.

她們同意了。

And initially, each of them expressed a lot of emotion.

一開始她們每個人都表現得很激動，

And then Mercedes apologized.

然後梅賽德斯道歉了，

And she said she had stolen the shoes,

她承認鞋子是她偷的，

but she did so because she wanted to sell them

因為她想賣掉它們

and take the money to pay for a drug test

然後把錢用來給媽媽 做藥檢的費用。

so that her mother could show she was clean

因為她的媽媽需要 證明她自己是清白的，

and try to regain custody of two younger children

才有可能重新獲得兩個 年幼孩子的監護權，

who were then in state protective care.

而這兩個孩子正在接受 國家的保護性照顧。

The other girls heard this,

另外兩個女孩聽到了這些話後，

saw Mercedes crying

看著哭泣的梅賽德斯

and they hugged her.

然後她們擁抱了她。

They did not ask her to return what she'd stolen,

她們沒有叫她歸還她所偷的東西，

but they did say they wanted a restart.

而是表示希望有個新的開始，

They wanted a reason they could trust her.

以及能夠相信她的理由。

Later, Mercedes explained

後來，梅賽德斯說， 回過頭來想想，

that she was sure she would have been suspended

如果沒有這次的交流，

if they hadn't had this process.

她肯定會被停學。

And her high school has reduced suspensions by more than half

她所在的高中通過這種 恢復性司法方案的運用，

through the use of this kind of restorative justice method.

已經將停學人數減少過半。

Restorative justice alternatives involve offenders and victims

恢復性司法這個選項 使得加害者和受害者

in communicating in ways

要進行多種方式的溝通，

that an adversarial and defensive process does not allow,

而這些溝通在進入法律的訴訟 和辯護的程式後是不被允許的。

and it's become the go-to method

這在一些地方正成為首選的方法，

in places like the District of Columbia juvenile justice system

比如在哥倫比亞特區的 青少年司法系統

and innovations like Los Angeles's Teen Court.

和在洛杉磯法院的創新實踐當中。

If tuned to fairness,

如果解決的途徑趨向於更加公平，

forgiveness methods like bankruptcy would be available

寬恕的方法比如破產法，

not only for the for-profit college that goes belly-up

不只是可以適用於走向破產的 盈利型私立大學，

but also for the students stuck with the loans;

也可以適用於那些因貸款 陷入困境的學生；

pardons would not be given to campaign contributors;

赦免令不再適用於競選活動捐款人，

and black men would no longer have 20 percent longer criminal sentences

黑人的刑期比白人長 20% 的現象

than do white men,

也不會再發生，

due to how judges exercise discretion.

那是由於以前法官 行使自由裁量權所造成的。

Forgiveness across the board is one way to avoid such biases.

全面的寬恕是避免 這些偏見的一種方式。

Sometimes, a society just needs a reset

有時涉及到懲罰和債務的社會

when it comes to punishment and debt.

只需重啟就夠了。

The Bible calls for periodic forgiveness of debts

聖經要求定期免除債務

and freeing prisoners,

和釋放囚犯。

and it recently helped to inspire a global movement.

最近這啓發了一場全球性的運動——

Jubilee 2000 joined Pope John Paul II

千禧年 2000——

參與的有教皇約翰·保羅二世， 搖滾樂巨星博諾，

and rock star Bono and over 60 nations

和 60 多個國家，

in an effort to seek the cancellation and succeed in canceling

共同致力於尋求 取消發展中國家的債務，

the debt of developing countries,

而且他們成功了。

amounting to over 100 billion dollars

最終總計超過 千億美元的債務被取消了，

of debt canceled,

resulting in measurable reduction in poverty.

使得世界上貧困人口數量顯著減少。

In a similar spirit, there are people who are copying the techniques

本著相同的理念，

有人複製商業債券購買者的操作手法，

of commercial debt collectors

who purchase debt for pennies on the dollar

那手法是先購入一本萬利債券，

and then seek to enforce it.

然後強制執行來獲利。

Late-night television host John Oliver partnered with a nonprofit group

深夜電視節目主持人約翰·奧利弗

和一個叫 RIP 醫療債務的 非營利組織合作，

called RIP Medical Debt,

and for only 60,000 dollars,

他們只花了6 萬美元，

they purchased 15 million dollars' worth of medical debt,

購買了價值 1500 萬 美元的醫療債務，

and then they forgave it.

接著他們免除了這些債務。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

That allowed nearly 9,000 people to have a restart in their lives.

這讓將近 9 千人重獲新生。

This kind of precedent should trigger and encourage more such actions.

這種先例應該引起和激發 更多類似的行動。

It's time for a reset,

到了歸零重啓的時候了。

given mass incarceration,

考慮大量的監禁、

medical and consumer debt

醫療和消費者的債務，

and given indigent criminal defendants

還有被起訴而負債的貧窮的被告，

who are charged and put in debt

because they're expected to pay for their own probation officers

因為他們得要自己付緩刑款

and their own electronic monitors.

和電子監控器的費用。

Forgiving violations of law

寬恕這些違法行為

or promises to pay back loans

或者讓他們承諾會償還貸款

does pose risks.

確實會構成風險。

Forgiveness may encourage more violations.

寬恕可能會鼓勵更多的違法行為，

Economists even have a name for it.

經濟學家甚至給它起了個名字，

They call it "moral hazard."

他們稱之為「道德風險」。

Should there be amnesty for immigration violations?

應該特赦違反移民法規定的行為嗎？

Should a president offer pardons to protect himself

總統應該赦免 以保護自己或引起違法嗎？

or to induce lawbreaking?

These are tough questions for our time.

這些都是我們這個時代的難題。

But escalating resentments hold their own dangers.

但不斷升高的怨恨 也有其自身的危險性，

So does attributing blame to individuals

把責任歸咎於個人亦然，

for circumstances largely outside their own control.

因為很大程度上 情況已超出他們的控制範圍了。

To ask how law may forgive is not to deny the fact of wrongdoing.

尋求法律上能否寬恕 並不是要否認犯錯的事實，

Rather, it's to widen the lens

反而是為了拓寬視野，

to enable glimpses of the larger patterns

以讓我們能夠找到 更多更廣的問題解決方式，

and to enable new choices that can go forward

讓新方式能夠繼續向前發展的

if we can wipe the slate clean.

前提就是既往不咎。

Thank you.

謝謝大家。

(Applause)

（掌聲）