Our neighbor's faith: Confronting choices on prisons

While my work has been principally with Protestant chaplains, I have been impressed by the close cooperation and mutual respect with which the chaplains of all faiths seek to serve in this critical ministry of compassion to the least among us.

My first surprise was to discover how many prisons we now have. There are 15 maximum security prisons, 37 medium security ones, 19 minimum facilities and six alcohol and substance abuse centers, for a total of 77 -- with more on the drawing boards. What is happening all across our nation is that we have turned prisons into a growth industry because too many politicians are seeking votes by saying how tough they will be on criminals. As a nation, we are being led to believe that we can make our streets safer by adopting a ``lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the-key' mentality.

New York State calls these ``correctional facilities,' but the programs which support rehabilitation are being eliminated and many of the too few chaplaincy positions go unfilled for long periods to save money. The chaplains who have served in the prison system for 20 or 30 years tell me there has never been a more punitive attitude than at present. The goal of rehabilitation has been largely abandoned in favor of locking up more people for longer and longer periods.

One driving force behind prison expansion has been our response to the drug problem. Even Judith Kaye, the chief judge of our state's highest court, has called for the repeal of the draconian Rockefeller drug laws. Instead of setting up more treatment centers, we just keep building more prisons. One consequence is that the number of women being locked up has escalated. There are now three facilities for females, holding nearly 3,600 women, the majority of whom are in for non-violent drug offenses.

The prisons at Bedford Hills and Taconic have nurseries for newborns and infants where the mother can care for her child until the child's first birthday. When that day arrives, family or others have 24 hours to take the child away. Some of these children are still visiting their mothers in prison when they become teenagers because the drug laws are so punitive.

Judge Kaye has argued in favor of ``drug courts,' which would be venues providing a judge the choice of treatment program rather than jail. There has been a three-year trial of this in Rochester, and of the 200 persons who have gone through it only 10 have been rearrested on drug charges. According to Deborah Small of the New York Civil Liberties Union, nearly two-thirds of those sent to prison last year were non-violent drug offenders, and it has to be clear by now that long sentences do not deter persons who are ``hooked' on drugs.

Over the past 25 years, we have emptied our mental hospitals through the use of potent new drugs like lithium. Then we have turned many of these same facilities into prisons by stringing miles and miles of razor wire around them. Most of them are tucked away where we don't see them. Recently, I visited one of these converted hospitals. It is a medium security unit, housing only about 750 of the nearly 70,000 men and women now serving time in state facilities.

As I was taken around the prison by the chaplain, what struck me was how young most of the inmates are. The other thing that hits you in the face is that almost all of the folks who are locked up are either African-Americans or Hispanic. What does this say to us?

How will we change the way we view those who have gone astray? I have struggled with this question. Change will not come quickly or easily. Fortunately, there are a few courageous persons and groups trying to bring about an awareness of how badly change is needed. There is a newly formed interfaith group under the name of ``Religious Leaders for a More Just and Compassionate Drug Policy.' It includes a host of highly regarded persons of faith.

They begin their appeal by saying, ``We are a group of religious leaders that have come to believe that the `War on Drugs' has not only failed in its efforts to make America free of `illicit drugs' but in the process has constructed laws that are highly unjust, racist in application, a threat to individual freedom and a danger to our public health.' They advocate the need to recognize that addiction is more of a health problem than a criminal act. This offers a place to start.

With a little imagination and common sense, I believe we could reduce our prison population by at least a quarter and probably a third; with the money saved, we could attack the recidivism rate by increasing the programs which promote self-worth and redemption rather than retribution. But first there is a need for people of faith to become more informed. Invite a prison chaplain to come and speak to your congregation; many of them would be delighted to do so.

(Editor's note: Rev. James H. Miller is a Presbyterian minister and director of Chaplaincy Services for New York State Community of Churches. He lives in Niskayuna.)

(12-03-98)

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