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opportunities for moral and character formation consistent with the beliefs
and responsibilities of their parents.
83. All persons have a right to receive a quality
education
. Young people,
including those who are poor and those with disabilities, need to have the
opportunity to develop intellectually, morally, spiritually, and physically,
allowing them to become good citizens who make socially and morally respon-
sible decisions. This requires parental choice in education. It also requires
educational institutions to have orderly, just, respectful, and non-violent
environments where adequate professional and material resources are avail-
able. The USCCB strongly supports adequate funding, including scholarships,
tax credits, and other means, to educate all persons no matter what their per-
sonal condition or what school they attend—public, private, or religious. All
teachers and administrators deserve salaries and benefits that reflect principles
of economic justice, as well as access to resources necessary for teachers to
prepare for their important tasks. Services aimed at improving education—
especially for those most at risk—that are available to students and teachers in
public schools should also be available to students and teachers in
private and
religious schools
as a matter of justice.
Promoting Justice and Countering Violence
84. Promoting moral responsibility and effective responses to violent crime,
curbing violence in media, supporting reasonable restrictions on access to
assault weapons and handguns, and opposing the use of the
death penalty
are
particularly important in light of a growing “culture of violence.” An ethic of
responsibility, rehabilitation, and restoration should be a foundation for the
reform of our broken
criminal justice system
. A humane and remedial rather
than a strictly punitive approach to offenders should be developed. Such an
approach includes supporting efforts that justly reduce the prison population,
help people leaving prison to reintegrate into their communities, combat
recidivism, promote just sentencing reform, and strengthen relationships
between the police and the communities they serve.
Combatting Unjust Discrimination
85. It is important for our society to continue to combat any unjust
discrimi-
nation
,
whether
based on race, religion, sex, ethnicity, disabling condition,
or age, as these are grave injustices and affronts to human dignity. Where the
effects of past discrimination persist, society has the obligation to take positive