With the growth of the drug epidemic in society and placing a greater focus on
the inner city it is necessary to step back and reevaluate the reasons and the
solutions outside of mass incarceration. For many years there has been a
growing concern that the privatization of the prison system in the 1980s created
a need to fill the cells in order to generate revenue. During this same period of
time the United States under President Ronald Reagan began the war on drugs,
which ultimately resulted in an increase in the number of people incarcerated for
drug convictions (Alexander 2012, 61). Unfortunately, the impact of the war on
drugs failed to distinguish between minor drug offenders guilty of possession and
higher-level drug dealers and distributers. As a result, the jail terms ascribed to
offenders have been disproportionate to the crime at a great cost to states and
federal government with little improvement in the drug epidemic.
g g g g g g g g g g The purpose for punishing individuals for crimes committed is geared
towards the greater good and welfare of other citizens (McQuilkin & Copan 2014,
129). However due to the subjectivity and the element of human inconsistency
the punishment often lack in rehabilitation but rather becomes retributive in
nature. This the lack of rehabilitation creates a perpetual cycle of imprisonment
for many due to the lack of opportunities that exist once released. g Inevitably this
results in additional criminal activity geared toward survival as a result of limited
job resources for felons. For this reason, the church needs to take a greater role
within the court system to develop alternative methods aimed towards
rehabilitation allowing those convicted to become a respectable citizen of society.
g g g g g g g g g g The church must become an advocate for change in the penial system.
Christ instructed the church to serve the community they are a part of in order to
develop disciples and grow the kingdom. If the church would collaborate with the
judicial and legislative branches of government they could advocate to create
spiritual based rehabilitation programs that offer alternatives to imprisonment. On
average many of the minor drug offenses are a result from a sense of
hopelessness and seeking a way to either escape or to survive by using it as a
revenue source.
If the church created community-based job programs and moved the church
outside the four walls they would have feet on the ground in the community to
offer people alternatives. The church has resources that would allow first-time
offenders an opportunity to avoid jail time by training them to pursue a trade. g
The church can also become an employment stream by looking to the
congregation for business owners and professionals that seek not to judge
individuals for past mistakes but offer them an opportunity to become reformed
citizens. If citizens can go to prison and learn a trade to work behind the prison
walls for perks, how more incline will they be to work with the local churches to
learn a trade and employment for the perk of not being imprisoned.
g g g g g g g g g g References
Alexander, Michelle. The New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness. New York: The New Press, 2012.
Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan, An instruction to Biblical Ethics: “Walking in
the Way of Wisdom”, Downers, Il, InterVarsity Press, 2014.
