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Good morning. A recent Channel 4 documentary called How to Stay Out of Jail focuses on a rehabilitation scheme named “Checkpoint”, introduced by Durham police. People found guilty of certain offences from burglary to domestic violence can avoid conviction and a criminal record if they agree to complete a four-month rehabilitation programme. If they don’t complete the programme, then they must go through the normal process of criminal conviction and imprisonment. The scheme, which has so far involved around two and a half thousand offenders, has, according to a study, significantly reduced reoffending rates. Victims of the crimes are consulted and the vast majority of them are supportive. The project may re-open debates about “soft justice”, but Durham’s Chief Constable says serious criminals will still feel “the full force of the law”. The documentary features offenders such as John, who reached the end of his tether and lashed out at his son, and Sam who crashed her car while drunk after leaving her children at home alone. As we follow these and others through the rehabilitation process with their mentors, we discover disturbing stories of mental distress, but also a compassionate sharing of sorrow and loss. People who commit crimes have themselves often been victims of trauma and violence. Their feelings of anxiety and abandonment can make them vulnerable to drug and alcohol abuse and to unemployment, homelessness and social ostracization. The Christian doctrine of original sin points to some primal trauma which afflicts the human condition and blights our capacity for good. It’s been criticised for its excessively pessimistic view of humankind, but Freud arrived at a similar conclusion when he peered deep into the unconscious and discovered hidden feelings of shame, rejection and forbidden desire. Whether we use the language of theology or psychoanalysis, it seems that our earliest experiences can have a lasting impact on our capacity to give and receive love. Those who have experienced extreme childhood trauma may give up on life. Yet the Checkpoint stories are about hope and redemption. We don’t have to remain trapped in cycles of abuse. This is justice that seeks rehabilitation rather than punishment alone, for those capable of taking responsibility for their actions, expressing true regret, and learning to turn their lives around. Such stories challenge us to ask ourselves what kind of society we want to become, and what kind of justice we seek to pursue.