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| from Works of Mercy, Rita Corbin, Catholic Worker, New York, ca 1970 |
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
That was the proclamation of Jesus' intent, read from Isaiah at the start of his public ministry. Some of that work was done in the few short years before his death. Some was accomplished in his death and resurrection. In Ephesians Paul wrote, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive": further proclamation of freedom; further setting the oppressed free.
But we know that work continues. In one church I attended, a new rector preached on that text from Luke 4, then asked every parishioner to memorize it.
If you wonder what God is calling you to, he told us, wonder no more. It's right here:
- proclaim good news to the poor
- proclaim freedom for the prisoners
- engage in acts of healing
- set the oppressed free
I thought of him yesterday, listening to the sixth of a series of regional forums on prison gerrymandering I helped organize and lead.
How is it that a nation claiming to be Christian has the highest incarceration rate on the planet?
How is it that people claiming to be followers of Christ are often the loudest proponents of tough-on-crime policies that warehouse kids and young adults most oppressed by racism, poverty and inequitable school funding?
April is "Second Chance Month" in Pennsylvania, a celebration of the Clean Slate Act passed in 2020, to seal the criminal records of non-violent offenders after specific crime-free periods, depending on the initial offense.
But as one of the speakers on our forum said yesterday, what about a first chance? How many in PA prisons are serving decades, even life sentences, for things done as kids, without ever having a chance to grow, to learn, to catch a glimpse of a promising future?
I've been carrying some heavy statistics these past few week, stats comparing the US to other nations. We have the highest per-capita incarceration rates in the word, far out-pacing other NATO nations. And PA has the highest percent of juvenile lifers on the planet: as of 2018, 1 in 5 juvenile lifers in the US were right here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Some of them have since been released, thanks to the Supreme Court's decision in 2012 that sentencing juveniles to life without parole is cruel and unusual punishment. Several of those who have been released have been part of our panels in the last few weeks. They served decades for things done in their teens. Now they're working to help friends in prison gain their freedom and rebuild their lives.
Our forums have looked at the intersection between prison gerrymandering, unjust prison policies, neglect of impacted communities, mass incarceration. One of our presenters yesterday mentioned Hebrews 13: 3:
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
I wrote about that text in 2012, as I tried to think through my own political platform: Remember those in prison.
I shared lots of stats. Here's a sampling (accurate in 2012):
One in 104 American adults is behind bars. One in 33 is under correctional control (on bail, on parole, in prison or jail).Not a lot has changed since then. In fact, in some ways things are worse. COVID-19 has hit prisons hard, with death tolls in prisons higher than the general public. At the same time, attempts to control the pandemic have resulted in increased lockdowns, increased solitary confinement, total suspension of programs that encourage mental health.
One in four of the world’s inmates is doing time in an American prison.
16% (350,000) of incarcerated adults are mentally ill. The percentage in juvenile custody is even higher.
3/4 of drug offenders in state prisons are non-violent offenders or in prison solely for drug offenses.
85 percent of all juveniles who appear in juvenile court are functionally illiterate. More than 6 in 10 of all prison inmates would have difficulty writing a letter, or filling out a job application.
Young black men without a high school diploma are now more likely to be incarcerated than employed.
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| read more: Joe Ligon release |
One of our presenters has repeatedly shared some photos of men he's worked with. One is of Joe Lignon, a Phialdelphia resident who was recently released after 68 years in PA prisons. He was given life without parole at the age of 15 for involvement in two murders he says he had nothing to do with. He had been imprisoned longer than anyone else on record.
I've been thinking the past few weeks about resurrection, what I believe, where belief intersects with action.
I believe in resurrection, and as part of that, I believe in redemption, reconciliation, restoration, first and second and third chances.
I believe in setting captives free.
Anglican bishop and scholar N. T. Wright wrote:
“Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about. . . . Our task in the present . . . is to live as resurrection people in between Easter and the final day.” ( Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church , 2008)
I find myself reviewing my own contribution to that: what does it mean to live as a resurrection person in this deeply divided world of ours? How do I help proclaim freedom to the prisoners, help set captives free, remind myself and others of men like Joe, waiting, sometimes decades, for a word of restoration?
Today, I'll pray, as I do every Sunday:
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.And I'll confess, as I do every Sunday:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Beyond that, I'll continue to pray that God will break my heart with the things that break His own, and will lead me, every day, to be faithful in the work He gives me, wherever it may lead.
Want to learn more about prison gerrymandering and mass incarceration in PA? This video, from one of our regional forums, might be a place to start.
