A brief history of faith, crime & punishment
___Christianity has been a driving force behind both the advancement and reformation of prisons throughout modern history.
___The history of Christianity as an impetus in crime and punishment is detailed in the book "Effective Jail and Prison Ministry for the 21st Century," in a chapter written by Thomas Beckner. Beckner is a former prison chaplain and director of the Center for Justice and Urban Leadership at Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Ind.
___"Prison sentences as a standard means of punishment appeared only after a point in
history when the worth of the individual had become more highly regarded," Beckner said. "In fact, it was the introduction of Christianity with its call for drastic change in social conditions and attitudes which really ushered in the concept of prisons."
___Here's a timeline based on his research:
___ Reign of Constantine, 306-337. Church courts established to administer justice to clergy, monks and clerics. In a departure from the norm, in which punishments usually involved execution or physical maiming, the notion was developed that these intellectuals should be punished but not wasted. By the 12th century, this had evolved into a practice known as the Benefit of Clergy, so that those tried by church court received less severe penalties than those tried in other courts. Later, the same benefit was extended to all who could read.
___ Middle Ages. Imprisonment for criminal activity becomes the norm. Local jails emerge as "squalid places where men, women and children were confined together with no regard for the nature of their offenses."
___ 1557. In response to these harsh conditions and the prevalence of corporal punishments and executions, churchmen advocated "humanitarian alternatives" such as the workhouse, temporary housing for vagrants, debtors and other petty offenders. The first such workhouse, known as Bridwell, opened in Scotland in 1557. The idea was copied throughout Europe.
___ 1600s. A strict criminal code was enforced in Colonial America, drawing upon physical punishment as practiced in Europe. In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a 1641 code mandated the death penalty for 12 offenses. Stocks and pillories were used to inflict pain and humiliation.
___ 1682. Pennsylvania Gov. William Penn, a Quaker, proposed the "Great Code," a set of laws that introduced the concept of confinement as punishment within itself. In time, this concept was adopted elsewhere, even reaching back to England. In Pennsylvania, the concept of reforming wayward citizens also got its start.
___ 1786. Pennsylvania rewrites its state code to reflect Penn's "Great Code." Emphasis is placed on punishment by labor in the penitentiary, with the world's first penitentiary created in Philadelphia in 1790.
___ 1870. Inspired by the faith-based crusading of Pennsylvania warden Zebulon Brockaway, the National Prison Congress adopted 41 principles around which to organize prison reform. Among the ideas adopted: Society is responsible for reforming prisoners and religion should play a role in reformation.
___ 1877. In response to prison overcrowding and deteriorating conditions in prisons, the first reform school was opened in Elmira, N.Y., to house and redirect the lives of young offenders.
___ 1970s. Skepticism about the effectiveness of rehabilitation efforts takes center stage, leading to major revisions of prison policies and sentencing guidelines. The idea that prison should have a therapeutic effect both for the prisoner and the community is abandoned, based on fears that rehabilitation isn't possible, religious programming isn't cost-effective and religion must be separated from the public sphere.
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