Criminal law and religion are inexorably intertwined and intersect within a multitude of dimensions. Beginning from humankind’s earliest criminal justice system, religion has influenced criminal law; affecting issues ranging from speech-related crimes and notions of forgiveness to the use of torture and capital punishment. Despite the evident interaction between criminal law and religion, there remains no major online publication dedicated to expanding understandings and explorations of these issues. Canopy Forum’s new series Conviction aims to fill this gap by sharing scholarship on these topics ranging from news and recent events to perspectives on important and relevant issues, within the intersection of criminal law and religion. Led by Matthew P. Cavedon, a criminal defense attorney with an MTS degree from Emory University, this series aims to present the intersection of criminal law and religion in an accessible and informative way.
Matthew P. Cavedon is a criminal defense attorney in Gainesville, GA. He graduated from Emory University in 2015 with a law degree and masters of theological studies.