Four years ago, I knew very little about criminal justice reform or prisons. I didn’t know anyone who had been to prison, have any knowledge around what a prison was like or how long people stayed, and I didn’t have a clue what legislation or stories got people locked up. All I knew was that prisoners did something bad, were serving a sentence, and most would be released.
Four years ago, I knew very little about criminal justice reform or prisons.
However, this view started to shift when I started getting involved in orphan ministry and the Calvin Prison Initiative, a five-year bachelor’s degree program for inmates at a local jail in Michigan.
In these experiences, I was challenged to learn about the prison system in a personal and biblical way. Listening to people’s testimonies humanized incarceration for me and taught me that living out justice and the gospel means engaging with those who are incarcerated and the system which locks them up. In particular, there are two biblical themes that drove me to pursue criminal justice reform: justice for prisoners and unity for the Church.
I also see criminal justice reform as a way to live out our call to unity as the Church.
The first, justice for prisoners, is the most foundational for me in my efforts towards criminal justice reform. I see scripture calling us to remember, care for, and engage with those who are incarcerated (Matthew 25:43, Luke 4:19, Hebrews 13:3). It is through legislative efforts that I believe I can live out this biblical mandate.
I also see criminal justice reform as a way to live out our call to unity as the Church (see Psalm 133, 1 Corinthians 1, Ephesians 4). I don’t believe that this call to justice for prisoners and this call to unity needs to (or should) be separated. In fact, I see criminal justice reform as the very issue that can equip the Church to do justice better, because of its spirit of unity. I seek criminal justice reform as a way to unity because of the issue’s bipartisanship, ability to breakdown walls, and build a bridge between Church and State.
Criminal justice reform is not “owned” by one political party or another. It is an issue that is both moral and economic. It has major social repercussions, as well as fiscal. And it is an issue that is about both responsibility and forgiveness, wanting both justice for victims and perpetrators alike.
It has major social repercussions, as well as fiscal.
For these reasons, and more, criminal justice reform is foundationally both Republican and Democratic. This was recently reflected in the bipartisan support of the First Step Act (Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act) in Congress. This bipartisan nature has profound implications for the Body of Christ.
Criminal justice reform is the very issue that has the power for the Church to take our strong political stances, undo our biases, and come together to create a more just society. It provides an opportunity for us to step away from the polarization and snap judgements that so readily exist in our actions and rhetoric, and to come to understanding and collaboration.
Not only can unity be found politically, but criminal justice reform is an issue that can reflect a Church that crosses barriers, even the barrier of prison. In order to reform our criminal justice systems effectively, we must understand what it is like to be a prisoner. That, in turn, requires us to reach out and extend our church walls beyond buildings and into prisons themselves.
The Church, and the call to discipleship, still exists within the walls of prisons.
The Church, and the call to discipleship, still exists within the walls of prisons. Therefore, it is important for us in society to recognize and engage with that part of the Body of Christ, both for the sake of unity and for reform.
Lastly, criminal justice reform is an issue for the Church to care about because of the healthy perspective on Church and State it can bring. While some hesitate from the Church engaging with the State, the reality is that the State is the entity which locks people up. The State is the institution that enforces our foundation of laws and punishment. Therefore, a call to engage with those who are imprisoned, to free the captive, and to do justice inevitably means a call to engage with the legislative body which dictates how those laws and punishment are put into practice.
The majority of the prison population (roughly 95%) is located in state prisons and local jails.
The United States has the world’s highest incarceration rate. Particularly here, affecting laws and punishment looks like focusing on your state-level legislation. While federal prisons exist and contribute to the vast amount of incarceration that exists, the majority of the prison population (roughly 95%) is located in state prisons and local jails. Because of this, the best way to get involved with criminal justice reform is to look at your state-level politics and seek out conversations with your respective senators and representatives.
By pursuing justice for incarcerated people, we can also work towards a greater collaboration and unity in the Church. Together, to seek justice for those persecuted and oppressed within our incarceration system, we can seek to reform and mend relationships as the Church as well. This in return, will enable us to be more effective and more together in other justice and Gospel efforts moving forward.
[Photo by Carles Rabada on Unsplash]
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