Chapter 9: Prisons and Prison Reform
Chapter Nine
Prisons and Prison Reform
“Prison Brings 250 New Jobs to Rural Community.” In rural America, one of the great sources of new jobs is prison construction. There are construction jobs from building the prison, and jobs for guards, food service workers, clerical workers, and so on. In fact, far from the NIMBY (not in my back yard) attitude about so many things, rural communities lobby hard to have new prisons built in their area. Prisons, in the United States, are a big business. In spite of the clamor for prisons in rural areas, however, there are still questions about how much of an economic benefit they bring.
“Judges Concerned About Sentencing Requirements.” An increasing concern among judges in the United States is the series of mandatory sentencing laws. The issue is that mandatory sentencing requires minimum sentences for a variety of crimes. Many judges feel there should be more freedom to discriminate between first time and repeat offenders, for example.
More and more churches find themselves in some kind of prison ministry, either directly to prisoners, a Bible study or worship service, ministering to families of prison inmates, and so on.
The Legal System in Wesley’s England
One of the legal reforms following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was that judges were given immunity from attempts to remove them from office. This gave them greater independence and helped the average citizen feel more secure about his or her treatment under the law. This idea of an independent judiciary was built into the Constitution of the United States, and federal judges are appointed for life, rather than re-elected. Some of the states also have independent judiciaries, though in many cases, judges stand for re-election. In recent years, this whole system has come under attack because judges have upheld federal and state constitutions in ways that are unpopular with politicians and special interest groups. In both twenty-first century America and eighteenth century England, however, the commitment to an independent judiciary is a protection for the ordinary citizen.
Another part of the legal system common to both eras is the idea of mandatory sentences. In the United States, this has often applied to drug-related offenses; in Wesley’s England, the law was harsher. In the eighteenth century, there were over 200 crimes punishable by death, ranging from shooting a rabbit to murder, from cutting a young tree or stealing five shillings to insurrection. Those were mandatory sentences, and their very existence lessened the security of individuals and undermined respect for the law. People were hanged for what today would be misdemeanors at best, or not even chargeable offenses. Given the economic realities of the day, people were driven to steal bread to feed their families. If they were caught, they could be hanged.
And—does this make sense?—persons who could not pay their debts were thrown into prison and kept there until they could pay their debts. Wesley knew something about this part of the law, since many of the colonists in Georgia were freed from debtors’ prison on condition that they migrate to the New World. In fact, his father had once been sent to prison for debt. Susannah had offered to sell her wedding ring to pay for the debt, but Samuel refused. One of the wealthy nobles with whom Samuel was acquainted later paid the debt to set Samuel free. As the century wore on, and England’s wars became a world war, debtors and petty criminals were allowed to join the army or navy, rather than be sent to prison. This may not have been a better fate! However, as late as the Napoleonic Wars, debtors were being shipped to Botany Bay, in Australia. There were some serious problems with the legal system in eighteenth century England.
Conditions in the Prisons
Prison conditions were themselves criminal. The administration of the prisons was often contracted out to private individuals. These private administrators made money by extorting it from the prisoners, as well as from the fees paid by the government. The administrators sold alcohol and drugs, allowed prostitution, and often charged large sums for decent food, blankets, and other necessities. A common practice was displaying famous prisoners in a cage or some other contrivance, where the crowds were charged admission to see him or her. Inmates who could not pay the charges were often tortured or left to starve. Men, women, and children were often crowded together in the same large rooms. For many, the only hope of ever getting out of prison came when the prisons were so over-crowded some were released to make room for new prisoners coming in. Hygiene in the prisons was terrible, and the prisons were breeding grounds for infectious diseases.
Wesley and the Prisons
Wesley and other members of the Holy Club at Oxford visited the prisons in that city regularly and brought spiritual comfort, food, and even education to the prisoners. Wesley once ministered to a convict on the way to the gallows and was amazed that the prisoner received salvation (the amazement came because Wesley himself did not feel he had experienced salvation, and thus didn’t see how he could lead anyone else to it.)
Ministry to the poor included ministry to those in prison. From the spring of 1739, John Wesley was conducting services in the London and Bristol prisons. This was while the Revival was in its opening stages, and he was incredibly busy with preaching, organizing classes, and trying to bring some sense of common direction to the movement. He met with prisoners, particularly those on death row, and ministered to their spiritual needs. This met with resistance from the authorities. The sheriffs at Newgate in Bristol restricted his ministry to one service a week, instead of daily. Other authorities refused to let him meet with prisoners condemned to death, even when the prisoners asked for it. Wesley’s preaching to prisoners focused on God’s love to all humanity, even to those abandoned by society.
Other Methodists followed his example. By 1743, visiting prisoners was a part of the rules of the societies. What happened when Methodists became aware of the plight of prisoners? The same thing that happens whenever and wherever Methodists become aware of human need. They began to provide humanitarian assistance to the prisoners. In later years, as we shall see, their awareness of prison conditions made them strong supporters of prison reform.
For Wesley and his followers, loving one’s neighbor and doing good to those in need led almost automatically to prison ministries. This included ministry to the many prisoners of war held in England. Remember this was a century of war, and prisoners were shipped to England from overseas and incarcerated there, often without any of the basic necessities. Methodists collected money to buy these prisoners food, clothing, and bedding.
Wesley publicly wrote about the conditions in all prisons, and suggested steps that could be taken to improve those conditions. This led to serious reform in some places. In Bristol, for example, the entire prison was cleaned (not a small matter!), drunkenness and prostitution were stopped, and Sunday services became a regular part of prison life.
The Methodists also provided opportunities for inmates to work. Remember that many were in prison for debt and were caught on the horns of a dilemma. They could not be released until their debts were paid. But as long as they were in prison, they had no way of making any money to pay off their debts. Wesley arranged for them to get materials for credit, which they used to learn a trade and to earn money to repay both the loan and the debts they owed. This not only got them out of prison, it gave them a trade by which to earn a living once they were free.
More than “Doing Good”
The commitment to prison ministry did not lead immediately to reform, but it did make large numbers of people aware of the needs of prisoners. First, the Methodists set to work to love their neighbor by easing the harshness of prison conditions. Later, because of their awareness and experience, they were willing to support the efforts of those who tried to reform the prison system. This is an interesting model for our time, as well. When good people become aware of human need and minister to that need (whether it is to prisoners, to the poor, to migrant workers, or the homeless) their own lives are changed. Visiting and serving prisoners and the poor is one avenue of grace by which we grow in love for God and neighbor. (See Matthew 25:31- 46.)They become more sensitive because they know persons by name who are part of what had previously been an amorphous group. This sensitivity leads us to provide both material help and relationships to these individuals. In turn, we begin to ask questions about why it is necessary that people have to live in those conditions. This prepares the ground for reform, and provides a solid base of support for reform when the time is right.
Wesley himself publicly protested in print about the abuses of the prison system. His protests, in addition to the new awareness of the Methodists about the prisons, helped pave the way for the systematic reform of prisons led by John Howard and others. Wesley protested, both in his own publications and in the newspapers, against:
the appalling conditions of the prisons,
the effect of a prison stay on moral behavior (prisons were a school for crime),
the long judicial proceedings,
the unequal treatment of poor and rich, and
the inhumane treatment of prisoners of war.
Wesley had solid biblical and theological arguments behind his protests, but he went beyond them to point out practical social consequences of the system. This encouraged those who were not moved by religious arguments to join in the move for reform. Anyone who wanted to help was welcome. What Wesley did not do was attack Parliament or the King’s ministers, who were ultimately responsible for the prisons. He was too much a conservative for that. His efforts, however, did ultimately lead to reform.
So What Have We Learned?
What have we learned from Wesley about prison ministries and prison reform that we can apply to our own day? The key is actually visiting the prisons and knowing prisoners as people. Christians in our day, as in Wesley’s, are called to go where Christ may be found. Jesus said, “. . . for I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink . . . I was in prison and you visited me.” (Matt 25:35-36)
Second, we become aware of the needs of prisoners (at whatever level) and respond to those needs. Wesley would remind us that we respond to what prisoners identify as needs and not what we think those needs should be.
Third, ministry to the families of prisoners is important.
Finally, we may become aware of problems that cannot be addressed simply by ministering to individuals. When that happens, we follow Wesley’s example of publicly talking about those problems, and calling for changes in the prison system that will lead to reform.
Questions for Reflection