Judge Hubert Case Study

I sat in on Judge Hubert’s court. Judge Paul Hubert is the presiding judge for Catch Court in Franklin County. Catch Court is located in Columbus, Ohio at 375 South High Street. What is does ‘Catch’ stand for in Catch Court? “Catch stands for Changing Actions to Change Habits” (Hubert, 2017). Why did you start Catch Court? Judge Hubert saw a need for women who were coming through his court. These women for victims of human trafficking not prostitutes. These women were victims and needed help. “One day I saw a woman come in with bruises and thought it was a domestic violence victim. I looked down at the file and saw she was a defendant — "prostitution," said the charge. It then hit me that these women had the same bruises, broken bones,
Judge Hubert shows so much mercy and grace in his courtroom. The justice that Judge Hubert uses shows his heart for the justice Jesus asks of us. Once a week Judge opens his court room to have all the women in Catch Court for a meal. “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:12-13, NIV). Timothy Keller explains mishpat, mishpat is- "giving people their rights" (Keller, 2012, p.3). Judge Hubert gives rights to the women he sees and also stands up for those rights. “The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners” (Psalms 146:7, NKJV). There is a need for justice for those that are neglected, “any neglect shown to the needs of the members of this quarter is not called merely a lack of mercy or charity, but a violation of justice” (Keller, 2012, p.5). God tells us, in Proverbs 31:8, to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (NIV). Some of the women were talking about how they look at court as a place of support. When they are in need of help, the women come to the court. One women said that she finds strength in
It says in Romans 3:22-24, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (NIV). We are not perfect and have and will all sin. We can’t stop all crime and sin from happening. We have to remember the promises that God has told us. This is not the end. Heaven is our home and there is no crime in Heaven. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV). “To explain and understand crime, criminologists have developed many theories” (Schmalleger, 2015, p.13). Judge Hubert’s theory regarding the cause of crime is Social Problem Perspective. “Social Problem Perspective holds that crime is a manifestation of underlying social problems such as poverty, discrimination, inequality of opportunity, breakdown of traditional social institutions, low level of formal education among some disadvantaged groups, ….and so on” (Schmalleger, 2015, p.15). There are problems in society. People are not recognizing that prostitution is not a choice. There is always a reason why people are the way they are, it doesn’t just happen. People’s lives, circumstances and situations shape them as a