Prison Fellowship

  • DONATE
    • One-Time
    • Monthly
    • Angel Tree
    • Other Ways to Give
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Volunteer
    • Subscribe
    • Angel Tree Christmas
    • Start a Fundraiser
    • Pray With Us
    • Justice Action Center
    • Share on Social
  • STORIES
    • Stories
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • The Restoration Series [Videos]
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Why Help Prisoners?
    • What We Do
    • In-Prison
      • Prison Fellowship Academy
      • In-Prison Programs
      • Hope Events
      • Inside Journal
      • Women’s Ministry
      • Create: New Beginnings
    • Angel Tree
      • Register your church or group for Angel Tree
      • Prison Fellowship Angel Tree
      • Angel Tree Christmas
      • Angel Tree Camping
      • Angel Tree Sports Camps
    • Justice Reform
      • Justice Reform
      • Second Chance Month
      • Sign the Justice Declaration
      • Get a Copy of Outrageous Justice
    • Warden Exchange
    • Church Partners
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Preparing Prisoners for Reentry
  • RESOURCES
    • Subscribe to Our Email
    • Support for Friends and Family of Prisoners
      • Resources for Friends and Family of Prisoners
      • Coping with Incarceration
      • Resources for Prisoners
      • Resources for Children of Prisoners
      • Supporting Successful Prisoner Reentry
    • Resources for Churches and Volunteers
      • Resources for Churches and Volunteers
      • In-Prison Ministry
      • Reentry Ministry
      • Family Ministry
      • Justice Reform
      • Mentoring Ministry
    • Resources for Angel Tree Coordinators
    • Resources for Chaplains
    • Resources for D.O.C.
    • Justice Reform Resources
    • Share on Social
    • For Media Outlets
  • ABOUT US
    • Leadership
    • Chuck Colson
      • About Chuck Colson
      • The Charles Colson Hope Awards
    • Our Beliefs
    • Financials
      • Financials
      • 2022 Annual Report
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
    • In The News

What Crime Victims Are Saying About Incarceration

August 10, 2016 by Steve Rempe

A new criminal justice reform organization recently surveyed 800 people who have been the victims of violent or property crime in the last 10 years, asking them their opinions on issues surrounding incarceration and alternative sentencing. The answers received reveal quite a bit about the depth of support for justice reform.

What Crime Victims Are Saying About Incarceration -get with lock

The study, commissioned by The Alliance for Safety and Justice, asks victims of crime to share their experiences, as well as their views on public policy as it relates to the rehabilitation of criminals. Perhaps counter-intuitively, those directly impacted by the crimes of others overwhelmingly support policies that reduce prison sentences and place a greater emphasis on rehabilitation over punishment.

Respondents to the survey supported a more rehabilitative, less punitive system by a 2 to 1 margin. Sixty percent favored shorter prison sentences, and 75 percent preferred that people be held accountable by methods beyond incarceration.  A significant majority of those polled also favored greater investment in crime prevention programming, drug treatment, and community supervision over expanding prisons.

Although many might think it surprising that victims of crime would take such a restorative view of corrections, the study actually mirrors other studies of the general public on such matters. A 2012 Pew Charitable Trust report found that 84 percent of its respondents—including a large majority of those self-identifying as both Democrat and Republican—favored redistributing funding from incarceration to alternative programs such as parole and probation. More recent studies have revealed a general disapproval of mandatory minimums as currently constructed.

“The new study suggests that crime victims’ interests don’t always align with those of the tough-on-crime lawmakers who invoke their names,” writes Christopher Ingraham in the Washington Post. “The survey suggests this may be because many crime victims don’t see prison as an effective tool for reducing the crime rate and preventing others from being victimized.”

The growing public consensus for reform is a good reason for implementing sentencing policies that emphasize rehabilitation, but it is not the only one. Evidence is mounting that those who take part in programming that emphasizes restorative justice principles are less likely to return to prison, and are better equipped to become productive members of their communities. And for Christians, there is the call to remember those in prison, and the belief that those behind bars are uniquely created by God, deserving of our love and respect, and capable of rehabilitation.

Prison Fellowship supports efforts to make the criminal justice system both more just and more effective. By supporting sensible legislative measures to improve corrections, Prison Fellowship hopes to see meaningful reforms implemented and lives of both victims crime and those who have committed those crimes transformed.

The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act is one such piece of legislation. The bill seeks to make sentences more proportional and would allow greater discretion to judges and attorneys in order to tailor more effective sentences to individuals. To learn more about the bill, and how you can support it, click here.

 

Filed Under: Advocacy & Reentry, Feature Stories, Reentry Tagged With: Pew Charitable Trust, Sentencing Reform, Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, Victims, Washington Post

SELECT A TOPIC

  • Advocacy & Reentry
  • Angel Tree
  • Families of Prisoners
  • Feature Stories
  • From the CEO
  • Hope Events
  • Inside Journal
  • Press Releases
  • Prison & Prisoners
  • Prison Fellowship Academy
  • Prison Fellowship International
  • Prison Fellowship News & Updates
  • Reentry
  • Second Chance Month
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Warden Exchange

MOST POPULAR

Prison Fellowship Responds to Inaction on Crack Cocaine Sentencing at Close of the 117th Congress

December 20, 2022

Criminal Justice Reform Achievements

December 16, 2022

Prison Fellowship Applauds Congressional Lawmakers for Passage of Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act

December 15, 2022

LATEST VIDEOS

WATCH ALL VIDEOS

JOIN OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY

FACEBOOK
TWITTER
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
LINKEDIN
PF®
PFM®

RECOMMENDED LINKS

  • Ways to Donate
  • Inspirational Stories
  • Angel Tree Program
  • Prison Fellowship Academy
  • Justice Reform

RESOURCES

  • For Families & Friends of Prisoners
  • For Churches & Angel Tree Volunteers
  • For Media Outlets

JOIN RESTORATION PARTNERS AND WITNESS GOD RESTORE LIVES

Restoration Partners give monthly to bring life-changing prison ministry programs to incarcerated men and women across the country.

 

JOIN NOW
  • CONTACT US
  • EMPLOYMENT
  • PRIVACY
  • FINANCIALS
© 2023 PRISON FELLOWSHIP®

Angel Tree®, Angel Tree Camping®, Angel Tree Sports ClinicTM, Angel Tree Sports CampsTM, and Warden Exchange® are programs of Prison Fellowship®.