In the chapter on Crime and Punishment by McQuilken and Copan, the
goals of incarceration or punishment are highlighted: rehabilitation,
deterrence, protection of the innocent and punitive/retribution.[1]#If
incarceration and the prison system functioned in the USA for the
purposes and in the way it was initially designed, the problem with
overpopulated prisons and recurring crime/drug offenses probably would
not be as rampant. According to McQuilken and Copan, “The prison
system has utterly failed in three of the four purposes of punishment. It
only functions well as a just form of punishment; retributive justice is
served – although, insofar as criminals are behind bars, they will not be a
danger to the public (protection of the innocent).[2]#Prisons/incarceration
is nothing more than a holding cell for a time and really offers little to no
chance at true rehabilitation. Prisons do not separate drug offenders from
drugs, there are drugs available in prison just as there are drugs available
outside the prisons. Prisons are overstaffed, so few, if any, receive the
rehabilitation services they need to break their addictions, address any
mental health needs or receive the education that may help them leave
prison to be functioning, thriving members of society.
############So, is there an alternative to incarceration for minor drug offenses
that is more effective and appeals to the Christian Responsibility for
Criminal Justice? Yes, there most definitely is. The most effective
alternative seems to be holistic programs that focus on the individual as a
whole. One such program is the Nashville Rescue Mission. Their “who we
are” states they “. . . focus on a person’s entire life-physical, mental,
spiritual, emotional, and social.”[3]#The goal is true restoration through a
Christian approach. It is not just a holding cell or homeless shelter. This
facility provides everything a person needs from counseling, food, job
training, shelter, drug rehab, Bible study, clothing, etc. to go forward to be
productive citizens. Many times, those with drug offenses have an
underlying mental illness in which they are using drugs to self-medicate or
some type of traumatic life experience they have not processed. Nashville
Rescue Mission helps their guests break the toxic cycles that may have
developed in their lives. For instance, if a guest comes in, they not only
meet their immediate needs but do an intake on them to assess how they
can help more holistically. If John, who has a drug problem, is without a
home and is having a hard time finding employment because he does not
have an address, they provide a mailing address for John and issue him a
mailbox at the facility. If John goes through their programs to help him
with his drug problem and any other issues they discover on the way, he
may be able to eventually earn his way into one of their apartments until
he is able to move into the city on his own. This is much more effective
than throwing John into a prison cell for life.
#
Bibliography
McQuilkin, Robertson, and Paul Copan.#An Introduction to Biblical Ethics:
Walking in the Way of Wisdom.#Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014.
#
Mission, Nashville Rescue.#Nashville Rescue Mission.#n.d.
https://nashvillerescuemission.org (accessed 05 18, 2021).
#
#
#
[1]#Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan.#An Introduction to Biblical Ethics:
Walking in the Way of Wisdom,#(Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014),
434.
[2]#Ibid., 436.
[3]Nashville Rescue Mission.#Nashville Rescue Mission.#n.d.
https://nashvillerescuemission.org (accessed 05 18, 2021).
