This summer, I am working as a Research Assistant for Prison Fellowship Ministries. I actually work for the reform arm known as Justice Fellowship.
Pretty much, my job is to monitor what is going on on the state and federal lelve with regards to criminal justice reform - this includes things such as better sentencing practices, drug treatment programs, mental health treatment, and overcriminalization.
The heart behind the ministry is extending biblical justice to the "least of these."
While this is an explicitly Christian program, many of the issues that we study and support are secular in nature. It is going to be a fascinating study of an extremely important policy issue.
Pretty much, we are advocating for prisons - they are necessary. However, we are looking for better/smarter alternatives when dealing with prisoners that cater to their individual need whether for substance abuse, mental health, or some other problem. In addition, we support the idea of restorative justice which seeks to include victims in the resolution of a crime in such a way that doesn't simply put an individual away but returns peace to a community.
I look forward to updating you on what goes on this summer. I recommend checking out this site and finding out how you can be involved in your own community.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment