For the Amish, Crime but Seldom Punishment

Oct. 4, 2006 — -- When it comes to crime and punishment, the Amish live by a different set of rules -- God's rules, to be exact.

Abiding strictly by a moral code that values religion over all else and stresses forgiveness over anger, the Amish concept of justice looks very different from what most Americans encounter.

In a community that is largely left to police itself, there are no courts and no set of punishments attached to a given transgression.

And no matter what the crime, "if the perpetrator professes repentance before the church community, they are forgiven," said sociologist Deborah Morse-Kahn, who has studied and written about the Amish.

After Monday's shooting at a Nickel Mines schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, it was that forgiveness -- not anger -- that marked the Amish community's response.

One early reaction, even among the families of the young victims, was one of sympathy for shooter Charles Roberts.

People close to the group tell ABC News that some in the community were sad for Roberts. Because he committed suicide, he wouldn't have the chance to repent and seek salvation.

God is everywhere in the Amish follower's daily life, dictating what's right and wrong.

If there is a dispute within the community, it is solved by the bishop, the highest-ranking member of the Amish clergy.

If there's a problem too big to resolve, other bishops from other communities in other states step in to help solve it.

The Amish lifestyle is driven by the concept of "gelassenheit," a German word that suggests serenity, quietness of character, and submissiveness to God, church and family.

The closest thing to punishment for a repeat offender is to be "shunned" by the community, either temporarily or for good.

Excommunication is the most severe consequence, saved only for the utterly unrepentant.