In Michelle Alexander’s book
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness,
she expounds on the heightened dilemma of the mass
incarceration among African Americans which she claims the government and its
criminal justice system perpetuates directly to their community, hence, a return to
the Jim Crow era. e “Sociologists have frequently observed that governments use
punishment primarily as a tool of social control, and thus the extent or severity of
punishment is often unrelated to actual crime patterns.”[1] e The rising rate of
incarceration linked to the drug war in the U.S. is higher compared to other
countries. e Sadly, targeting a specific racial group puts them in an inferior
position. e The church can respond to offenders with kindness, love, and mercy. e
Scripturally, it is a moral duty of Christians to reach out to this group of people
who have broken the law and committed a crime (Mt. 25:34-40; Mk. 2:17; Heb.
13:1-3). e In the case of minor drug offenses with no violent charges, possible
alternatives to jail time could be to help the person with rehabilitation. e This could
very well help prevent more egregious crimes from happening such as drug
trafficking, human trafficking, etc.
First, the church should continue teaching, mentoring, and discipling to lead others
in Christlikeness. e The Holy Spirit can use God’s word to renew people’s minds
and change their thinking (Rom. 12:1-2). e Reversal and rejection of immoral
customs is possible when a life has been regenerated and transformed through a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. e Offenders need to know they are valued
by God and play an integral role in their family structure. e McQuilkin and Copan
say, “the breakdown of the family is the leading negative environmental
influence.”[2] e Second, the church can assist offenders by way of restitution. e This
puts them in a position of ownership, responsibility, and accountability wherein
they realize that the real victims are those who have been directly and indirectly
affected: their families and community.
Promoting ‘restorative justice’ says that “after a crime has occurred, the ultimate
goal is reconciliation and restoration” between offender and victim (their family
and community).[3] e With each illicit drug use or exchange, it denigrates the
community. e McQuilkin and Copan add, “While over 95 percent of present
American inmates will be returned to society, around two-thirds of them will
commit further crime.”[4] e So, instead of devastating their community with more
crime, they can partner with a church ministry to help build up their community. e
Some ideas of community service include painting over graffiti, preparing mural
walls for artists, regularly visiting and mentoring prisoners, ministering to
prisoners’ families by donating meals, adopting the block wherein the offender
lives, and hosting a drug-free campaign teaching the dangers of drug use (e.g.,
addiction, infection, poor judgment and decision-making, etc.) and the duty of
each citizen. e Perhaps doing this alternative work outside of an iron cage will help
offenders see their God-given purpose and destiny to be family and community
builders as it also serves as a deterrent for unwanted repercussions. e (Word
count: 585) e e e
[1] Michelle Alexander,
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness
(New York: The New Press, 2012): 7, https://ebookcentral-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=829777 (Accessed June 23,
2021). e
[2] Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan,
An Introduction to Biblical Ethics:
Walking in the Way of Wisdom
, 3rd ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2014):
431.
[3] Morgan Lee, "Doing the Crime Without Doing the Time: Why the Church Should
Welcome Alternatives to Mass Incarceration,"
Christianity Today
(March 2018): 66,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A530403156/BIC?u=vic_liberty&sid=summon&xid=3
3b5452e (Accessed June 22, 2021).
[4] McQuilkin and Copan,
An Introduction to Biblical Ethics
, 433.
