Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic social teaching offers a crucial lens for understanding the realities of incarceration, shaping ministry that is rooted in dignity, and advocating for true justice for all.

What is "Catholic Social Teaching."

Catholic social teaching (CST) refers to the collection of official magisterial documents of the Catholic Church which discuss a range of social issues such as economic justice, war and peace, and sustainability.

These teachings have been synthesized in the Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church. CST documents are accompanied by the contributions of scholars, practitioners, and the living witness of persons committed to enacting the Gospel.

What are the core concepts of CST?

Altogether, this Catholic social tradition is anchored by core concepts including human dignity; call to family, community, and participation; rights and responsibilities; preferential option for the poor; dignity of work and rights of workers; solidarity; and care of God’s creation.

Furthermore, CST recommends a three-step process for engaging issues of social concern: See, Judge, Act.

Our society seems to prefer punishment to rehabilitation and retribution to restoration thereby indicating a failure to recognize prisoners as human beings.

- U.S. Catholic bishops: Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration (2000) -

Three primary Catholic Social Teaching core concepts that are directly linked to the criminal justice system and incarceration:

Human dignity

The human dignity of all persons is rooted in our common creation in the image and likeness of God. Neither crime nor criminal sentence can change this. Human dignity sets a high standard for the treatment of those currently and formerly behind bars as well as their families.

Common Good

Justice demands that our actions are oriented toward the good of all, excluding no one. To pursue the common good, we must work to ensure that all persons can participate and flourish in the community. By its very design, incarceration marginalizes and makes it a challenge to see incarcerated persons as full members of the community. Even after incarceration, marginalization persists. The common good requires us to actively promote one another’s flourishing, without exceptions.

Option for the Poor

The option for the poor draws our attention to those who are the most vulnerable. For any social issue, we must ask who will bear the greatest burden, who lacks a voice, and who is most susceptible to harm. The poor and marginalized are always and everywhere to be prioritized.

The preferential option for the poor directs our attention to all those impacted by incarceration. In particular, it demands an urgent and prophetic response to the ways that incarceration reveals and creates racial and economic injustice.

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Resources on CST
and Incarceration

Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice – A Statement of the Catholic Bishops of the United States (2000)

USCCB

Redeeming a Prison Society: A Liturgical and Sacramental Response to Mass Incarceration

Amy Levad

The Christian Virtue of Justice and the U.S. Prison

Journal of Catholic Social Thought, Kathryn Getek Soltis, Volume 8, Issue 1 (Winter 2011), 37-56.

General Resources
on CST