Today’s paper
continued a series they were running on whether Michigan should have a registry
of violent ex-offenders just like the registry of sex offenders. Part of the
story focused on a young man who had been convicted of second degree murder. At
age 38, almost half of his life had been spent in prison. He was up for parole
and hoping to rejoin society. He dreamed of being a husband and father and
contributing to his community, dreams not unlike those of most people.
He was
released from prison at the discretion of the parole board and a judge. Like so
many others, his freedom was short-lived. Six months after his release, he went
on a crime spree, robbing a number of gas stations and convenience stores at
gunpoint, a gun that turned out to be a BB gun.
What
happened?
Without even
reading on I knew. I had heard stories like this during my time at the
Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola this past January. He simply couldn’t
survive on the outside. While he is culpable for his actions, it is hard for me
not to wonder what society, especially the church, could have done to help.
It is a fact
that persons with a felony record have little chance of finding employment at
all, let alone employment that will pay a living wage. Often, ex-offenders end
up back in the same neighborhood with the same friends and in the same
circumstances that led to the poor decisions that put them in prison in the
first place, primarily because they have no other support system.
It’s not that
support systems don’t exist. In my city they do. But it’s likely that these
folks don’t always know how or where to look for them.
One thing
that is clear, is that adding an ex-convicts name to a registry will do nothing
but harm. The sex registry is a case in point. Consider this: an 18 year old
makes the poor decision to streak at a college football game. He gets arrested
and guess what? He is now a registered sex offender in some states. Does that
make any sense at all?
And how is
something like a crime registry not forcing a person to serve a sentence beyond
what the judge demanded? How is this sort of thing just? How is it not
reactionary based purely on fear?
Ex-cons are
not monsters. They are human beings made in the image of God. How can the
church help affirm that?
If perfect
love casts out fear, as the Bible teaches, might churches find a way to partner
with agencies who are doing good work with ex-offenders to show these people
that they are loved? Might we be able to begin thinking creatively about how to
offer support to these marginalized men and women, and not promote further
marginalization?
