In Michelle Alexander’s bookThe 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. “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] The rising rate of incarceration
linked to the drug war in the U.S. is higher compared to other countries.
Sadly, targeting a specific racial group puts them in an inferior position.
The church can respond to offenders with kindness, love, and mercy.
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). In the case of minor drug offenses with no violent
charges, possible alternatives to jail time could be to help the person with
rehabilitation. 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. The Holy Spirit can use God’s word to renew
people’s minds and change their thinking (Rom. 12:1-2). Reversal and
rejection of immoral customs is possible when a life has been regenerated
and transformed through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Offenders need to know they are valued by God and play an integral role
in their family structure. McQuilkin and Copan say, “the breakdown of the
family is the leading negative environmental influence.”[2] Second, the
church can assist offenders by way of restitution. 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] With each illicit drug use or
exchange, it denigrates the community. 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] So, instead of
devastating their community with more crime, they can partner with a
church ministry to help build up their community. 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. 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. (Word count: 585)
[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).
[2]Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan,An Introduction to Biblical Ethics:
Walking in the Way of Wisdom, 3rded. (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=33b5452e(Accessed June 22, 2021).
[4]McQuilkin and Copan,An Introduction to Biblical Ethics, 433.
