In the chapter "Crime and Punishment" (429-443 in McQuilken and Copan),
various alternatives to prison are presented, and a short section deals with
"Christian Responsibility for Criminal Justice." Consider the ideas presented in
these sections specifically in light of the USA's continuing battle with illegal drug
use. Consider the different possibilities and Christian responses in this chapter,
and defend, in your initial post, a possible way to deal with minor drug offences
that might be more effective than jail terms. You may want to do some internet
searching on the matter as well--and if so, include the sources at the bottom of
your initial thread. Four Hundred words--minimum (be sure to include the word
count)
g g g g g g g g g g g g This week’s discussion topic is one that is very familiar to me. During
my time spent in law enforcement over the past decade, I have pondered
extensively the effectiveness and legitimacy of the current penal system in the
United States, and have come to agree with McQuilkin and Copan’s conclusion
that “Surely a society with creativity sufficient to put a person on the moon need
not settle for a failed system of punishment here on earth.”[1] I definitely believe
that there is room and a need for penal system reform, but, unlike many reform
advocates, think we need to be sure not to throw out the proverbial baby with the
bath water
g g g g g g g g g g g g In considering this conversation for this post, specifically in light of the
continuing failure of the “War on Drugs” in the U.S., I was reminded of numerous
people that I have encountered over the years, both inside and outside of law
enforcement, who espouse the belief that simply decriminalizing drugs would
solve multiple issues: reduction of overcrowding in prisons, reduction of crimes
loosely affiliated with drugs, slowing down the flow of people into the prison
“schoolhouse in crime,”[2] and elimination of the appearance of racial bias in the
criminal justice system. While taking this action could result in reductions in
some of these areas, I believe that a change in the potential punishments would
be a more effective option.
g g g g g g g g g g g g The authors discussed several potential options for dealing with minor,
non-violent, offenses without jail time, specifically for first-time offenders. Of
those options listed, the on that makes the most sense to me was one that they
suggested primarily for juvenile offenders: community service. However, I think
that for first-time non-violent offenders, specifically on minor drug offenses, being
sentenced to serve the local community, specifically serving the areas most
typically harmed by drug activity, would potentially open the eyes of these
offenders to the damage they could be causing.
g g g g g g g g g g g g Another option that I believe could be effective in reducing drug crime,
specifically with non-violent offenders, is that of addiction/mental health
treatment in lieu of jail time. There are many cities and states which offer some
type of treatment option in the form of drug court. While the success rate has not
been universal, many states have seen positive results. One of these states is
California which, since the institution of specialized drug and mental health courts
in the year 2000, has seen them reduce incarceration rates by 85%, convictions
rates by 77%, and recidivism rates among participants by 85%. They further report
a substantial increase in the in the rates of employment among program
participants, with 70% at the end of the programs vs. only 40% employed when
they started them.[3] These are very positive results which I believe can be
duplicated across the board by implementation of similar programs.
[1] Robert McQuilkin and Paul Copan, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in
the Way of Wisdom (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2013), 437
[2] Ibid.
[3] “Sentencing Alternatives: Treatment Vs Incarceration for Drug Offenders,”
accessed October 5, 2020, https://irishealing.com/sentencing-alternatives-
treatment-vs-incarceration-for-drug-offenders/.
