It is often assumed that the law and religion address different spheres of human
life. Religion and ethics articulate complex systems of moral reasoning that concern norms,
deliberation of ends, cultivation of disposition, and transformation of moral agency. Law, in
contrast, seeks to govern human conduct through procedural justice, rights, and public good. Doing
Justice to Mercy challenges this assumption by presenting the reader with an urgent conversation
between the law and religion that yields a constructive approach, both theoretically and
practically, to the complex role of mercy in our legal process. Authored by legal
practitioners, activists, and theorists in addition to theologians and ethicists, the essays
collected here are informed by timeless principles, and yet they could not be timelier. The trend in
sentencing moves toward an increased severity, and the number of incarcerated people in the United
States is at an all-time high. In the half-decade since 9/11, moreover, homeland security
has established itself as a permanent fixture in our lives. In this atmosphere, the current volume
seeks initially to clarify how justice and mercy intertwine in relation to a number of issues, such
as rehabilitation, the death penalty, domestic violence, and war crimes. Exploring the legal,
philosophical, and theological grounds for mercy in our courts, the discussion then moves to the
practical ways in which mercy may be implemented.Contributors:Marc Mauer, The
Sentencing Project * Lois Gehr Livezey, McCormick Theological Seminary * Ernie Lewis, Public
Advocate, Commonwealth of Kentucky * Jonathan Rothchild, Loyola Marymount University *
Albert W. Alschuler, Northwestern University School of Law * David Scheffer, Northwestern
University School of Law * David Little, Harvard Divinity School * Matthew Myer Boulton,
Andover Newton Theological School * Mark Lewis Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary *
Sarah Coakley, Cambridge University * William Schweiker, University of Chicago Divinity School
* Kevin Jung, College of William and Mary * Peter J. Paris, Princeton Theological Seminary
* W. Clark Gilpin, University of Chicago Divinity School * William C. Placher, Wabash
College