We need a plumber desperately.  There is a direct relationship between early school suspension and later incarceration.  Break the chains!

The School-to-Prison Pipeline Starts in Preschool

Daniel 6:1-23

King Darius issued an executive order that prohibited prayer.  Daniel, in what amounts to civil disobedience, continued to pray three times a day and is caught.  He ended up being sentenced to capitol punishment — death by lions.  God intervened and Daniel was saved from execution. 

Why do you think King Darius issued the order to begin with?  Why do you think Daniel chose to break the law of the land, knowing it could mean execution? What does God’s intervention reveal about God in relationship to Darius’ “law and order” edict? 

We often say, “Do the crime; do the time”.  This attitude reveals an underlying assumption that all laws are just.  Historically, what are some examples of “unjust laws”?  How do you determine whether a law is “just” or “unjust”?  Have you ever acted in “civil disobedience” because of the law clashed with your faith?  If not, why not? 

In April 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was jailed in Birmingham for violating an injunction to refrain from organizing or promoting protests against segregation.  Many pastors criticized him for breaking the law and using “extreme” tactics in his fight for equality.  In response, he wrote his famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”.  You can read it HERE.

2 Chronicles 16:1-10 (NIV),  Jeremiah 38:1-6 (NRSV)

In each of today’s Scriptures, prophets are placed in prison—Hanani for confronting King Asa about a questionable treaty with the King of Aram, and Jeremiah for being unpatriotic.  Hanani was placed in stocks and Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern (and left to starve to death).  Prisons are usually part of a larger apparatus of social control and oppression.

What are some current examples of the use of prisons to control political dissent or to oppress groups of people? 

“Nowhere in Scripture do we find a divine endorsement of prisons [as a place of punishment].”  So wrote Mark Olson in an article published in “The Other Side” magazine.  He went on to write, “Never, ever, in any part of the Bible are prisons part of God’s way. Always they are used to oppress. Always they are an affront to the divine. There are no good prisons. None” 

Do you agree or disagree with this statement?  Explain.  How has this year’s Compact challenged your view of prisons and how we treat prisoners?

Galatians 6:1-2, Ephesians 4:25-5:1

Paul’s instructions to the Galatians and Ephesians are very different from his instructions to the church at Corinth (see Day 21 Devotional).  How do you account for the difference in tone?  In your experience, are Christians more likely to condemn the sinner or restore the sinner?  What does that say about Christians’ understanding and experience of God’s forgiveness?  Why do you think a “spirit of gentleness” (or humility) is required of those who are involved in restoring those who are transgressors?  What are the foundational bases for working toward truth-telling, forgiveness, and restoration to the community? 

Think about God’s attitude toward the law-breaker and forgiveness.  On a scale from 1 to 10, how are you at imitating God’s response to the sinner?  What could you do to move the scale toward imitating God?

There is no devotional for Sunday, March 30, 2014

1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

There is a person in the Corinthian church that is openly involved in immoral (if not illegal) behavior.  Paul directs the church to take action to expel the individual from the church.  Though there are multiple interpretations on the directive to “hand him over to Satan”, the goal of the action is to discipline and correct his behavior.  Evidently, the church took Paul’s advice and expelled him.  However, the punishment did not end—even after the man expressed his sorrow.  Paul’s second letter advises them to “forgive him, console him and reaffirm their love for him.” 

In a situation where there has been an infraction that has brought damage to the community, what do you think are some of “Satan’s designs” for the law breaker?  For the community?  How does forgiveness and restoration to the community thwart those designs? 

While this is a situation that happens inside the church, are there applications to those who have been convicted of crimes and have been incarcerated?  How can we express consolation and forgiveness to those who have “done their time”?

Jeremiah 33:10-11, Psalm 68:4-6

The people of Israel have been removed from their land and taken into exile because of their rejection of God and their rebellion against God’s Law.  But their punishment is limited.  God promises to “restore their fortunes” and return the people to their land and replace what had been lost.  The Psalmist also celebrates God’s restoration after release from captivity.

What do these passages teach about God’s forgiveness?  How might they challenge our current correctional system and how we treat ex-offenders?

When ex-convicts are released in California, they are given up to $200 (depending upon the length of their incarceration) in what is known as “gate money”.  However, they must pay for their own transportation from the prison out of that $200.  This is the extent to which we “restore their fortune”.   “Gate money” varies from state to state, but few states provide comprehensive re-entry services to ensure that ex-convicts can survive let alone thrive outside of the system.

Consider picking up the phone to contact Representative Danny Davis’ office at 773- 533-7520 to thank him for introducing the Second Chance Reauthorization Act and ask how you can support his efforts to get the bill passed.

We have reached the half-way mark in our Fast for Freedom.  What impact has this experience had on you thus far?

Deuteronomy 25:2-3

This scripture describes a judgment against a law-breaker and a sentence of flogging.  While flogging is severe (it is still practiced in many countries for even minor offenses), the Law limits it to no more than forty lashes.  Why the limit?  Because otherwise “your neighbor will be degraded in your sight.”  The “criminal” is still a neighbor and still deserves dignity.  His/Her humanity must be preserved.  There is protection for the “criminal” even in the midst of punishment.

This is criminal justice that is done in public.  It is out in the open where the lashes can be counted and those doing the flogging can be stopped after 40.  Thankfully, in our enlightened correctional system, we have done away with public hangings and floggings.  However, we have moved the punishment indoors to the prison and in the process removed correction from public scrutiny and accountability.  We have hidden the criminal and those who carry out the punishment.  And we no longer have to watch our neighbor be degraded before our eyes.

Did you know that twice as many rapes occur inside prisons than outside?  Did you know that guards frequently beat up prisoners and encourage prison fights for entertainment?  Did you know that prison wardens frequently place prisoners in solitary confinement for undisclosed reasons and keep them there indefinitely?  And there is little accountability.

What words do we use in our society to describe a a person who has been convicted of a crime and incarcerated?  Does the word “neighbor” come to mind?  Why or why not?  What in our correctional system do you think would change if we did see the criminal as our neighbor?  How might we restore accountability in a correctional system that is removed from our sight?

Have you fasted in support of our neighbors at the Menard Correctional Center and other prisons around the country who are on a hunger strike because they have been in solitary confinement for indefinite periods of time in terrible conditions?  Set a time now to do it.  Check out the resource page for an update on conditions at Menard.

Exodus 22:1-13, Luke 19:1-10

Restitution is required in each of the crime scenarios described in the Law (Exodus).  How is restitution different from retribution?  Besides restoring the animal or object, what else is restored in this process?

How does Zacchaeus’ action reflect “salvation”?  What do you think were the results of his action in relationship to his community?

There is a movement toward what is called “restorative justice”, a framework that includes restitution and community involvement in dealing with offenses.  The goal is to make restitution for the crime while also repairing the relationships that have been damaged.  In Chicago, Logan Square Neighborhood Association has been working with Kelyvn Park High School and other CPS schools to use a restorative justice model to reduce suspensions and expulsions.   Visit LSNA to learn more this important work.

For a comprehensive understanding of restorative justice, please visit http://www.restorativejustice.org, a project of Prison International Fellowship.

Psalm 130

The Psalmist expresses relief in the forgiveness of God.  His survival is dependent upon God not keeping a record of his wrongs (vs. 3).  He finds great hope in the knowledge of God’s unfailing love and overflowing redemption (vs. 7-8).   How is a person’s survival threatened when a record of one’s wrongs is maintained?  What does “redemption” look like for a person with a record?  What does love have to do with it? 

On Sunday, March 23, we learned about the FORCE project from Marlon Chamberlain.  In 2013, Illinois Governor Quinn signed a bill into law that would allow ex-offenders to seal their non-violent records.  How does a sealing bill mirror the act of God Psalm 103? 

When we refuse to see the lawbreaker as a member of the community, it is easy to marginalize them and treat them at “the outsider” or “the other”.    While the law breaker has done damage to the community, (s)he is still part of the community.  The states of Minnesota and Vermont are taking bold steps to make restoration to community a part of its crime prevention strategy.  Based on a model developed by a Mennonite pastor in Canada, “Circles of Support and Accountability” (CoSAs) connect moderately high-risk ex-offenders to non-professional community groups to help them reintegrate into the community.   In a 2013 study, it was found that only 5% of those ex-offenders who were in a CoSA group were charged with a crime between 2010 and 2013 compared with 45% of those who were not in a CoSA.   Much of the funding for these programs comes from the Second Chance Act, a bill that was signed into law by George W. Bush in 2008.  The bill provided funding to every state for programs that aided re-entry.  Rep. Danny Davis (D- IL) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced HB 3465, the Second Chance Reauthorization Act in November 2013 and it was referred to committee.  On January 9, 2014, it was referred to a subcommittee.  Without passage of the reauthorization bill, the Act is discontinued.  You can follow this bill HERE.   To read more about the Second Chance Act, link HERE.