Father Orthoduck recently received a note in which a person commented on the problems that an ex-con faces, and there is significant truth in what that person said.
The problem is an offshoot of the popular religiosity subject which Fr. Obregón is beginning to discuss on his Orthocuban posts. In the USA officially we believe that when a person has served their full time (incarceration plus parole) then they have paid their debt to society. But, our popular belief is otherwise. You can see that in many TV shows. Our popular belief is that once a criminal, always a criminal. No one wants to be the first person to give an ex-con a job.
But, this brings up a double problem. One problem is for society. But, the other problem is for Christianity. And, as much as Father Orthoduck hates this saying, it is a question of which comes first, the duck or the egg. [Father Orthoduck wishes to state that chickens stole that saying from us ducks, but that is ancient history.]
So, which came first, the recidivism rate or the hesitancy of people to hire ex-cons? If one is an ex-con, but cannot get a job and resorts to a crime in order to survive, which is more guilty, the society or the ex-con? The answer is actually rather complex and not one that Father Orthoduck is going to get into. But there is actually guilt on both sides. Which gets us to our popular religiosity in the USA.
We love to have people give their testimony of having been a criminal but redeemed by God. We see the ex-criminal on Christian TV shows, on the stage of many a Protestant church, etc. Our official religiosity is that God can redeem anyone and change them. We love to do sermons on the Prodigal Son and on the woman caught in adultery related to the unforgiveness that people have in their hearts. Officially we believe, and state that we believe, in redemption.
But our popular religiosity is distinctly different. There is little room for redemption should the local pastor wish to hire an ex-con to be the janitor of the church, or the secretary. That pastor will find that the church board wants somebody else to be the first to hire that person. Rare is the goodly church member who is a business owner and will deliberately try to hire ex-cons (particularly those claiming to have found redemption in jail) in order to give them a new opportunity. That goodly church member has a popular religiosity which does not really believe in redemption.
Yes, yes, Father Orthoduck has heard all the excuses. “They must prove themselves first.” Hmm, how are they going to prove themselves if no one will give them the opportunity? “Well, it is their fault, they are the ones who committed the crime!” Hmm, well, I thought that we agreed that they had paid their debt to society. Moreover, if they have found Christ through a prison ministry should we not be the first to receive them? “Well, it is probably a con and they are going to take us!” Undoubtedly some are. Father Orthoduck is not naïve, and his friend, Fr. Obregón was involved in some maximum security prison ministry in Perú. But, prison ministries are quite clear on saying that some slide away from the Lord after prison precisely because of the bad treatment that they receive from their fellow Christian.
The problem is an old one. St. Ananias was rather afraid to go see St. Paul after his conversion. But, St. Ananias took the chance that the Lord was correct, went to St. Paul, baptized him and received him into the Church. Today we have the majority of the New Testament thanks to St. Paul, the ex-murderer, not to mention one of the Gospels, written by one of the men who was part of his traveling missionary team. That man was St. Luke, the physician.
And, so, oh church or oh supposedly “Christian” business owner, will you take a chance on hiring the next saint of the Church? Or, will you simply succumb to the popular religiosity of American Christianity and look the other way, like the pharisee who was glad that he was not like that publican?
Father,
Great post. Would that we all would take chances on those in prison. So often we stop after visiting the, if we even do that!
I wonder if Orthodox thought has addressed the fundamental idea of prison. To me the premise seems fundamentally flawed. Sure, perhaps some people need to be kept away from society if they are a real danger to others, psychopaths, hardened murderers and the like.
But is it really appropriate punishment for the petty thief, the marajuana user or other criminals who pose little danger ot the rest of the world to lock them away and waste years of the precious life God gave them away from their families, their friends, the productive work they could be doing?
It seems the punishment of stealing a man’s life for his crime is absurdly harsh and there must be a better solution.
This raises a second question, does stealing a man’s life for a few years really in any way “pay his debt to society?”
Does he really owe a debt to society in the first place? If he stole, did he steal from society, or from one man? If from one man, does he not owe a debt to one man, which he should pay back and then be free?
As I said at the outset, the whole system seems fundamentally flawed to me. Any thoughts, Father?
The Peruvian prison warden would no doubt be Fr. Orthollama, no?
Yes, interesting dilemma, isn’t it. I’m an unemployed architect (residential) and I recently contacted a recruiting firm that specialized in architecture and engineering. They told me that the only two areas of architecture that had available jobs were medical and prison facilities. Tells you a lot about our society.