So after reading MK's blog, I realized that I should probably comment on why I chose the title Incarcerate Grace. To start off, during January term while studying in Jamaica, we had the opportunity to visit the 2nd largest prison in that country. Prisons there are very different from the US. The one we visited was constructed in the 18th century under British rule, and very little has changed. The whole complex is in desperate need of repair/rebuilding. Prisoners lived in a kind of an ordered chaos, moving almost freely throughout the yards. Despite the squalid living conditions, the prisoners retained a sense of humanity and pride. We were able to make eye contact with the prisoners, talk to them, and even throw a few fist bumps around. We were served bread in the prison's bakery by a man as big as a house. There our eyes were opened and we could see the grace that was present.
I will maintain my belief that there is no place on earth where the grace of God cannot be found or where the Holy Spirit cannot move, but a US penitentiary locks it down pretty tight. America is obsessed with incarceration. We have more of our population in prison or in some stage of the judicial system than any other country on earth. The populations of our prisons, federally and in every state of the union, have individually risen staggering amounts, in some cases up to 700%, since the 1980's.
Throughout this semester, I hope to discover more about what it means to be a Christian, and how we can extend grace to those individuals who have been condemned to a life or death in prison. I know that a criminal justice system is a necessity, but warehousing our prisoners with no rehabilitation offered is not a system of grace. It is simply a system created to protect society from those who are deemed unwanted criminals, outcasts.
Grace can be found everywhere. Grace is offered to everyone. Do American prison's offer grace to inmates, or simply incarcerate them?
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Will, here is an article from the bbc on English prisoners being released early due to inadequate space: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7307488.stm
ReplyDeletei have asked Stef to mail a book down to me that in part shows how the prison systems in Japan works. i cannot remember the section in its entirety, but i know that there is less freedom, but less time in the sentencing. the rehabilitation comes as the subject who was incarcerated is sent back to their hometown where they are not allowed to leave; they must rebuild their status of respect within their community that has been shamed because of their action.
When the book comes i will let you know.