Christian View On Crime & Punishment

[Carer]

I've posted this on my own site and thought I'd post it here as well to, hopefully, get a Christian perspective onthe subject.Here in the UK we apparently have a massive problem with overcrowding in our Prisons. So much so, that we now hear that prisoners are having to be held in Police station cells and there are plans to create Prison Ships. The 'tagging' idea is not always succesful as people have still committed crimes and even some of those who serve their full prison sentence still re-offend soon after they are released. So what's the answer? Clearly, things cannot continue the way they are now. We will eventually end up with nowhere left to put even the most violent prisoners. How effective is the 'Community Service' option and is it targeted at the right people.? How do other countries deal with their prisoners and could we perhaps learn something from them? Of course, as in all things, we could say that 'Prevention' is better than 'Cure', but how do we do this? Many people feel that, in many cases, the sentences given are not adequate enough to act as deterrents to others. Perhaps if 'longer' terms were imposed etc, people would think twice about committing crimes in the first place, which means they would not be 'exposed' to other 'criminals' in prison. I wonder how many people re-offend by committing a worse crime than the one they did originally, because of someone they came into contact with in prison? Of course, there are those who blame poverty, and other social and family issues for a large proportion of the crime rate, but how much blame can fairly be placed on these issues? There are many disadvantaged people who don't turn to crime. What does anyone else think?

 

[Christina]

We have the same problems here in U.S. but especially here in the state of California where they announced last week that they would be transferring prisoners to other states at the cost of 51 million dollars a year because of extreme over crowing problems. I of course from a Christian view think they are lost because of the lack of God in their lives but you can not force someone to love the Lord. So as a human being I think first of all we have to be realistic and stop the politics and make the hard decisions. Do you want the murders, child molesters, violent people behind bars or the marijuana growers,smokers?I think they should legalize marijuana, sell it in licensed pubs (that was for you carer)we call them bars. Tax it high like they do liquor, tobacco, gasoline. use the tax money to build new facilities to retrain educate and house non-violet offenders, create a large Island for sex offenders since they cant be rehabilitated, where they can all live together much like the bible did with the lepers, then the high security prisons would have room for violent offenders. As for reality I think because of the times we are in (End Times) its only going to get worse.

 

[stanleyg]

The first problem is that imprisonment is slavery. Our Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery for private citizens, yet legalized our government to enforce slavery as punishment for crime. Slavery is uncivilized and barberic treatment of any human being. A more civilized or Christian approach to correct antisocial or pathological behaviors is to place human beings in a hospital to receive medical care. When sick persons see that society has recognized his or her behavior as a sickness, rather than a crime, then he or she will seek help to recover.Don't believe any person that says punishment deters crime. It is a rumor that the conservative spread around to scare liberal Christians to trust the law. In one way or the other he or she capitalizes on the institution of slavery through money, power or influence. To stay in poltical power a conservative will cite the OT (e.g. eye for an eye) as his or her proof that God favors punishment. Conversely, a liberal will cite the NT (e.g. love thy neighbor as thyself or thine ememies) as his or her proof that God doesn't condone us inciting fear and/or hatred.Aristotle has convinced science scholars that man is an animal. Prison, in all actuality, is a zoo and/or kennel for humans. A prison warden is the chief zoo keeper. Yet, the Bible has taught us that God gave man dominion over all things that creepeth. We don't walk on all fours same as animals. Rather, we stand erect as human beings. Thus, we have to be treated as human beings. Pirates had smuggled Africans to America on slave ships same as Mexicans are being smuggled across the border. The southern plantation owners captitalized on slavery. The south represents the Red State or conservative Republican and the North represents the Blue State of Liberal Democrats. California had joinned our Union as a free or Blue State. The United States is divided in half with conservative or liberals fighting over slavery. If one were to cage a human being in a kennel as if he or she were an animal, then God has created us to act according to how we're being treated. God sent Jesus to teach us the gospel of how to love one another. If we had trusted our faith in the gospel, rather than turning back to the law, then we wouldn't be sentencing our brothers or sisters to live in a zoo or kennel as punishment.

Amendment XIII​

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.