The United States locks up too many people. Globally, the average incarceration rate is 125 prisoners per 100,000 people. The United States arrest rate is 743 per 100,000. This gives the U.S. the highest incarceration rate on Earth.
A recent article in The Christian Century says America seems to enjoy locking people in prison. As the piece reveals, the U.S. has only six percent of the world's population, but it has 25 percent of the world's prisoners.
Senator James Webb (D., Va.) has remarked:
"Either we have the most evil people on earth living in the U.S. or we are doing something dramatically wrong in how we approach criminal justice."
In the 1980's, the War on Drugs allowed congress to pass laws imposing mandatory minimum sentences for minor offenses. In the years following, many states became "tough-on-crime" with similar sentencing for minor and non-violent offenses.
This "tough-on-crime" mentality has led to a spike in incarcerations. In recent years, many people have been locked behind bars—people without violent pasts have been imprisoned and sentenced to longer terms.
Locking up too many people for too long ultimately costs the state too much. Some states are starting to realize we are not only wasting taxpayer money—we are not making our cities safer.
States simply cannot afford to continue building and staffing prisons. We must change the way we do criminal justice. This country simply cannot afford to spend $200 billion a year to lock up over 2 million people.
The Christian Century points out, "The current criminal justice system is certainly an absolute scandal—and a catastrophe for millions of Americans, their families and their communities."
Visit Justice Fellowship for more on reforming our criminal justice system and creating safer communities.
Governor Mary Fallin just signed the strongest, most pro-safety plan Oklahoma has seen in recent history. This law will chart a new, smarter course for how Oklahoma does justice -- curbing the growing prison population while improving public safety.
The inmate population in Oklahoma has grown over 17 percent in the last decade. In an interview by NewsOK, Governor Fallin said of the prison reform measure:
“In addition to lowering crime rates, reducing the incarceration rate and giving law enforcement more resources to fight crime, this bill will help us to save taxpayer dollars by helping our corrections system operate in a more efficient and effective way.”
Justice Fellowship brought together a broad coalition of government leaders, pastors and business leaders to pass these criminal justice reforms.
Oklahoma’s HB 3052 will ease prison overcrowding and save money by:
- Establishing a grant program to fund crime-reduction initiatives by local law enforcement agencies; requires at least nine months of post-release supervision of all felons, which will reduce the recidivism rate;
- Establishing a risk, mental health and substance abuse assessments and evaluations before convicted felons are sentenced;
- Developing intermediary revocation facilities for nonviolent offenders who violate drug court regulations or conditions of probation and parole.
NewsOK also reports the bill is expected to save $170 million in the next ten years and provide $40 million to law enforcement agencies. This cost savings will help pay for technology and targeting strategies – like hot-spot policing -- that increases police presence in high-crime areas. These strategies are proven in other states to prevent and reduce crime.
Justice Fellowship works to reform the criminal justice system so victims are respected, offenders are transformed and reintegrated, and communities are safer. Oklahoma’s new law will do exactly that.
Oklahoma joins the growing list of states like Georgia, Kentucky, Colorado, South Carolina, Maryland and Ohio that are rethinking how to increase safety and save taxpayers’ dollars.
Visit Criminal Justice in the States for more information on Oklahoma and additional states where Justice Fellowship is reforming criminal justice.
In the days and weeks following Chuck Colson's passing, there has been much talk about his legacy. Most articles and reflections have focused on how Chuck moved from White House "hatchet man" to the founder of a Christian outreach to prisoners and their families. Others have looked at his commitment to establishing a Christian worldview, his role in bringing evangelicals and Roman Catholics together to work on a shared social agenda, or his co-drafting of the Manhattan Declaration.
Somewhat less attention has been spent on the legacy of Chuck Colson as a reformer of the justice system. Yet this was an issue that animated Chuck from the moment he left Maxwell Prison in 1975. In 1983, he established Justice Fellowship, a program dedicated to bringing biblical standards to bear on the criminal justice system.
ADallas Morning News commentary reflects on Chuck's role as prison reformer. It focuses on Chuck's willingness to defy convention, and to take stands on issues that were often ignored by fellow evangelicals:
. . . [O]nly a conservative like Colson, even one with his craven past, could credibly challenge lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-keys views of criminal justice. He tapped his connections in conservative political circles to lobby for bipartisan, legislative reforms in the criminal justice system. In the late 1990s, his prison ministry established a mostly Christian outreach program in a wing of a minimum-security prison near Houston, an initiative that has expanded to Minnesota.
The article mentions a number of legislative reforms enacted with the help of Justice Fellowship, including the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, and the Second Chance Act of 2007.
The full Dallas Morning News editorial is available here.
Governor Nathan Deal signed a criminal justice reform bill into law yesterday. This law will change how Georgia punishes nonviolent offenders—reserving prison beds for the most violent criminals.
Justice Fellowship Director of External Affairs Craig DeRoche and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal.
Justice Fellowship succeeded in Georgia with a broad coalition of government officials, law enforcement professionals, pastors and business leaders to pass criminal justice reforms. We couldn’t have done it without those who answered our call and contacted state legislators to demand justice reform NOW!
Craig DeRoche, Justice Fellowship’s Director of External Affairs, attended Governor Deal’s signing ceremony. DeRoche remarked, "Governor Deal spoke from his heart as he signed the most comprehensive improvements to public safety and the Georgia criminal justice system in several decades."
This bill will change the way Georgia does criminal justice. Rather than simply warehousing people in prison—which is expensive and ineffective—Governor Deal and leaders have “moved Georgia toward improving public safety through accountability and a focus on programs shown to reduce crime, break addictions and respect victims,” said DeRoche.
Evangelical Christianity lost one of its most eloquent and influential voices on Saturday, April 21, 2012 with the passing of Charles W. “Chuck” Colson. After a brief illness, Colson passed away at a Northern Virginia hospital with his wife and family at his bedside.
Colson journeyed from obstructing justice to justice reform -- spending almost four decades as a champion for prison ministry, criminal justice reform and worldview teaching.
Justice Fellowshipwas founded by Colson in 1983 as an outgrowth of his ministry in prisons, Prison Fellowship. As he worked to help prisoners transform through the truth and power of Jesus Christ, Colson realized a second emphasis was also needed -- to help transform the injustices within our criminal justice system.
Colson’s call for alternative punishments for non-violent offenders was often effective because Colson’s conservative credentials enabled him to line up conservative legislators in support of what had traditionally been seen as a liberal set of reforms.
Colson’s advocacy for prisoners’ rights took an additional form when he and Justice Fellowship were at the forefront lobbying legislators to support the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious Liberty Protection Act, and the Prison Rape Elimination Act.
Justice Fellowship is proud to carry on Chuck Colson’s legacy of fighting to reform the criminal justice system so victims are respected, offenders are transformed and reintegrated, and communities are safer.
Justice Fellowship President Pat Nolan posted on his Facebook page upon hearing of the passing of Mr. Colson:
“My dear friend and mentor Chuck Colson has just passed on to be with our Savior. Oh, how I will miss him. But I am very grateful for the last 15 years that I was able to work with one of the true pillars of the Church.”
As word of Chuck Colson's passing spreads, a number of commentators are offering tribute to the man whose very life is a testament to God's redeeming grace. Here are a few shared thoughts:
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"For more than 35 years, Chuck Colson, a former prisoner himself, has had a tremendous ministry reaching into prisons and jails with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. When I get to Heaven and see Chuck again, I believe I will also see many, many people there whose lives have been transformed because of the message he shared with them."
It is the central paradox of Christianity that fulfillment starts in emptiness, that streams emerge in the desert, that freedom can be found in a prison cell. Chuck’s swift journey from the White House to a penitentiary ended a life of accomplishment — only to begin a life of significance.
Justice Fellowship is about restoration. In most cases, restoration comes only after we hit rock-bottom. We know from Chuck Colson’s story, it took seven months in an Alabama prison for him to be restored and understand he needed to live for God instead of himself.
Justice Fellowship works to reform the criminal justice system so victims are respected, offenders are transformed and reintegrated, and communities are safer.
Because we deal with federal and state legislators and legislation – we tend to talk less about the individual picture of justice and restoration than we ought.
Leo Tolstoy said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” We must not forget that to change the culture one must first be changed.
Craig DeRoche, director of external affairs at Justice Fellowship, has seen rock-bottom and is being changed.
At the request of Craig's pastor, he recently gave a video testimony at Oak Pointe Church in Novi, Michigan, for a sermon on restoration. Craig’s testimony, as Pastor Bob Shirock of Oak Pointe points out, illustrates a modern-day example of Peter’s restoration in the Bible.
Craig opens the video saying:
To others they would have thought my life was magically good. I had everything going for me, I was successful, in college and graduated at 20. I was successful in business. I was elected to office early. I was the youngest Speaker of the House in Michigan’s history at 34 years-old. Governor Romney asked me to introduce him when he announced he was running for president. But the catch is how I was living my life from what the public saw to what was really going on in my heart and how I was living were completely different things.
Craig’s story is one of success, struggle and restoration. He says of this video, “My prayer is this video will bear witness to others of God’s grace, power, love and way of life through what He has done in me.”
Watch Craig’s story and consider other examples of how God has used bad circumstances to change individuals in our culture? If someone asked you to sit down and tell your story, what would you say?
Craig DeRoche is Director of External Affairs at Justice Fellowship and talks opening about his battles and faith. Read more about Craig here.
The last several years have shown us that prison sentences shouldn’t be the only form of “justice” in our criminal justice system. Sentencing more people to prison for too long cost too much.
Many states are feeling the financial burden of growing inmate populations. Sadly, many states still spend more on corrections than education. With one out of every 100 Americans behind bars, it’s time we changed the way we think about criminal justice.
A new report released on public opinion and corrections in America by the Pew Center on the States reveals the way Americans think about corrections is changing.
The poll reveals that Americans agree some tax dollars spent on locking up low-risk, non-violent inmates should be shifted to strengthening community corrections programs like probation and parole.
Some of the key findings of the data were:
1) American voters believe too many people are in prison and the nation spends too much on imprisonment. 2) Voters overwhelmingly support a variety of policy changes that shift non-violent offenders from prison to more effective, less expensive alternatives. 3) Support for sentencing and corrections reforms (including reduced prison terms) is strong across political parties, regions, age, gender, and racial/ethnic groups.
This new polling data reveals support for many of the reforms Justice Fellowship has worked toward for years.
Visit Justice Fellowship’s Criminal Justice in the States for examples of legislation JF is currently working on to reform the criminal justice system by saving taxpayer dollars and making the community safer.
During his tenure in Congress, Sen. Jim Webb (D) has been an advocate for reforming the criminal justice system. In 2009, Webb sponsored a bill (The National Criminal Justice Commission Act) that would have established a congressional commission to examine practices and policies of the criminal justice system, and to propose changes. The senator has also spoken publicly about the need to improve reentry opportunities for prisoners upon their release from incarceration.
In a recent opinion piece, Webb continues the discussion. Arguing against a culture of mass incarceration, the senator argues that it is imperative to develop a policy that is fairer, more effective, and cost efficient:
The disintegration of our criminal justice system, day by day and year by year, and the movement toward mass incarceration - with very little attention being paid to clear standards of prison administration or meaningful avenues of reentry for those who have served their time - are dramatically affecting millions of lives. They are draining billions of dollars from our economy, destroying notions of neighborhood and family in hundreds of communities across the country, and - most importantly - not making our country a safer or a fairer place.
There are definitely conversations to be had about how such a policy would look, and what it would take to implement it, but the conversation is one worth having.
Justice Fellowship, the policy arm of Prison Fellowship®, seeks to foster this discussion, and to bring about meaningful reforms. To learn more about the work of Justice Fellowship, or to get involved in bringing about reforms in your state, click here.
The department of corrections in Washington has proposed legislation that will overhaul the probation and parole practices in that state, and promises to save taxpayers as much as $15 million in the process.
According to the Seattle Times, the bill would reduce the typical sentence for minor parole or probation infractions such as failing a drug test, while making the penalties more predictable. (Right now, such violations can receive up to two months incarceration, but often result in no punishment at all.)
Opponents of the bill argue that reducing penalties for previously convicted individuals sends the wrong message. Those in favor of the measure say that making the punishment more consistent is a fairer approach, and assures that some penalty would be paid for violations.
What do you think? Is making punishment for violators shorter and more predictable a worthwile objective? Do promises of reduced corrections costs justify the move? Let us know in the comments.
Governor Mary Fallin just signed the strongest, most pro-safety plan Oklahoma has seen in recent history. This law will chart a new, smarter course for how Oklahoma does justice -- curbing the growing prison population while improving public safety.
As word of Chuck Colson's passing spreads, a number of commentators are offering tribute to the man whose very life is a testament to God's redeeming grace. Here are a few shared thoughts:
During his tenure in Congress, Sen. Jim Webb (D) has been an advocate for reforming the criminal justice system. In 2009, Webb sponsored a bill (