The United Methodist Church and the Baltimore-Washington Conference are called to advocate for the full human dignity and human dignity of all persons including persons who are or have been perpetrators and survivors of crime.

The Maryland Assembly is considering House Bill 801: new legislation which alters which individuals are eligible to receive mental health counseling paid for by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund; and requires the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to provide direct reimbursement to mental health professionals providing mental health services to a victim of a crime or a parent, child, stepchild, sibling, or intimate partner of a victim of a crime.

The 2016 Resolution of  The United Methodist Church affirms healing through the ministries of restorative justice. As stated in the Book of Discipline, “restorative justice grows out of biblical authority, which emphasizes a right relationship with God, self, and community. When such relationships are violated or broken through crime, opportunities are created to make things right” (¶ 164H). Making restitution to those who have been victimized is at the heart of restorative justice. Judges and criminal-justice officials are urged to consider this when appropriate to help make victims of crime as financially whole again as possible.

For United Methodist congregations to effectively live out Jesus’ call to be a neighbor to those who are victims of crime there are strategic ways in which congregations can act. These include:

• participation in, support of, and utilization of advocacy groups for victims of crime,
• referral to individual counselors and support groups that help crime victims as well as provide space for support groups to meet,
• help for the victim to understand how the criminal-justice system works,
• financial aid to help those with financial losses or the losses that occur from missed periods of work.

This legislation reflects our commitment to equitable mental health access and the urgent need for mental health services to survivors crime or a parent, child, stepchild, sibling, or intimate partner of a victim of a crime. We call on all United Methodists and people of faith to contact their legislators and voice their support for swift passage of this legislation in Committee and by the full Maryland Assembly.