She eventually located our apartment.

She'd never seen a foreigner before.

(Knock! Knock! Knock!)

At first, my wife had no inkling who she was or why she'd come.

Carol just knew she was hysterical.

And in our home.

The devoted sibling presented a note.

She pointed out it's her brother's first such transgression.

We believe in forgiveness - at least for nonviolent first offences - both in justice systems and personally.

Nobody is without need for exoneration for misdeeds - perhaps not criminal - committed in the totalities of our existences.

Even the best of us typically don't require second chances.

We need third, fourth, fifth, sixth chances.

Sometimes more. Hopefully, fewer.

The woman never did anything to deserve the punishment their family, too, faces - indignity, stigma and heartbreak.

That's not to mention the absence of a loved one.

Through working as a volunteer for a group that serves children of convicts in China for several years, I've come to realize justice isn't only about perpetrators but also about their families.

I hadn't given much thought to convicts' kids before that. And I hadn't thought much about offenders' siblings until that woman knocked on our door.

We not only wrote a letter asking the court for leniency but also truly wish he can - and will - turn his life around.

【Forgiving a thief in the night】相关文章：

★ Da Vinci exhibit reveals an anatomist of genius

★ Iranian president unveils new centrifuges

★ Fishing bans imposed on Pearl, Yangtze to help declining stock

★ Ex-soccer chief stands trial

★ Web giants face off in court

★ Wen asks Chongqing to reflect

★ More Chinese get into swing of golf

★ Workers bring back malaria from other countries

★ 经典英语美文：Live in the present moment

★ Live in the present moment