Chapter 3

CHAPTER 5 I Was in Prison ... and You Threw Away the Key

Abstract: In the original book, a number of groups working with exconvicts were highlighted. Here is an interview with an ex-con who is now a monk, and he describes actual efforts at making the transition from the prison to employment and the challenges he faced. He also describes the ineffectiveness of some of the national groups who are making a name providing services for those in transition, and why these programs are not working. Additionally, he touches on some new legislation efforts available to help ex-convicts.

Introduction

There’s a phrase of unknown origin, often used by people demanding harsher sentences for violent offenders. The oft repeated phrase is, “Lock them up and throw away the key.” It plays well with the ‘If you did the crime, do the time’ crowd, and its source is difficult to trace, because the phrase has been used fairly frequently in modern cultural references to criminals. One source attributed the quote to the writer John Edgar Wideman, who wrote of mass incarceration as being racist, and the ghetto as a terrible place to live, where only blacks reside (Wideman, 1995). Before Wideman there was Jim Maddox, the former Attorney General of Texas (Mattox, 1993). After overseeing three dozen executions in his state, Maddox was quoted as saying the existence of the death penalty did not deter those who murdered other people. This breathed new life into this phrase—also used by Maddox—that “it’s cheaper to lock them up and throw away the key” (Mattox, 1993).

Redemption Inc. But before Wideman and Mattox, the phrase was used by then President Ronald Reagan, based on criminal reform he enacted in California, and the work that he would do as President. Reagan was quoted as saying: “There’s only one way to get real gun control: Disarm the thugs and the criminals, lock them up, and if you don’t actually throw away the key, at least lose it for a long time” (Reagan, 1983). Reagan’s speech on June 20, 1983 included the phrase, but he was not the originator. It just rang true with his audience at that time. This was around the same time that law and order favorability was high, and the U.S. Congress along with many state legislatures passed “Mandatory Minimum” sentence laws that required judges to give fixed prison terms to those convicted of specific crimes (FAMM, n.d.).

The unofficial source of the phrase, “Lock them up and throw away the key” could actually be a poem by Arthur Frederick Saunders (1879-1947), which has little to do with prisoners and crime. Saunders’ quote goes like this: “My heart to you is given: Oh, do give yours to me; We’ll lock them up together, and throw away the key.” The phrase most likely morphed from the description of the Court of Common Pleas in England, as it was referred to by Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634), the Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, as “the lock and key of the common law” (AALS, 1908).

The whole idea of prison as a place not just to lock up prisoners but to seek the restoration and reforming of offenders is a fairly modern concept. Author Pray writes that Americans invented the modern prison system (Pray, 1987). Although there are prisons mentioned in the Bible (for example Genesis Chapter 38 and Acts Chapter 16), by this declaration it seems that Pray is referring to places for reforming criminals. These types of prisons were created as a humanitarian effort and launched in Philadelphia in the 1700s, and from there spread to other cities as well as back to Europe.

There were no efforts to reform offenders as noted in the Bible, where the penalty for capital punishment was death (Exodus 21:12). Before these newer prison models, the colonists took a similar approach to this Biblical model, which aligned with the British criminal code. This code utilized corporal and capital punishment approaches (Pray, 1987). A condemned man might be executed, while crimes that didn’t warrant the death penalty were addressed with fines or flogging. These approaches were meant to terrorize offenders and scare the public to avoid such punishment (Pray, 1987). Pray wrote that there came a realization by the public at the end of

CHAPTER 6 Transformed from the Inside Out

Redeeming Those with Life-Controlling Problems

Abstract: According to Kersten (2011), Teen Challenge has helped about 50,000 people struggling with these life controlling problems (Teen Challenge Programs, 2017). It is the world’s largest drug and alcohol treatment program, with more than 200 locations in the US, and 1000 facilities worldwide (Kersten, 2011). Lessons from this life-changing program.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.”

—1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG

Introduction

As long as there have been efforts by men to seek healing properties in plants and flowers, there have also been discoveries of side effects of such efforts, in the distilling of plants for drinks and for medicine. These discoveries of natural and now chemical treatments for illness have led to the development of drugs both for good and for harm.

One of the early leaders in the American colonies, Dr. Benjamin Rush, was noted to have believed that alcoholism was not a matter of personal willpower but was affected by the alcohol itself (Patterson, 2016). Dr. Rush, known as the father of American Psychiatry and also a representative at

Redemption Inc. the Continental Congress, grew up in a very pious Presbyterian family (Butterfield, 2017). Yet he was still unique in his view at the time that the concept of addiction was not simply a moral failing.

Throughout early American history, society viewed substance addictions as a moral flaw or a sign of weakness (Genetic Science Learning Center, 2013). Therefore attempts at reversing the addictive behavior ranged from intensive intercessory prayer meetings, to sentencing the addict to an asylum, or a sober house, or even prison (Patterson, 2016; Genetic Science Learning Center, 2013). Doctors used a shotgun approach to treat the addiction, according to one academic article (Genetic Science Learning Center, 2013), being willing to try just about any combination of drugs and therapy.

It would not be until 1935 that a significant successful program to address the rehabilitation of addicts was started. It became more of a movement than simply the recovery from an addiction. That year Dr. Bob Smith and Mr. Bill Wilson, known in the program as Dr. Bob and Bill W, founded Alcoholics Anonymous. Using a spiritually focused approach, this program sought to encourage alcoholics to not only recover from the addiction but to be personally transformed, and to find the support needed to maintain freedom from repeated addictive behavior.

According to their website (http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US), Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. Alcoholics Anonymous’s 12-step program is famous all over the world. Since the founding of the program, some efforts have been made to ameliorate the “God concept” from the original program, and some programs built on this model have gone ahead and recommended this adjustment, while other attendees have simply rationalized their way through the “God-focused” steps (Castleman, 2011). The AA organization itself has sought to remain true to the principles of the program, affirming this in a book on the 12 Steps written by one of the co-founders of the program (see the Introduction, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Wilson, 1953) which has recently gone through its seventy-fifth printing. These principles have worked in the lives of hundreds of people since the first meetings were held in 1935. The founding of AA and its successful approach led eventually to similar types of programs being started, such as Narcotics Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, etc. (Patterson, 2016).

CHAPTER 7 Work as Redemptive Intervention

Abstract: A story about one woman’s selfless efforts working with at-risk youth, striving to put them on a positive path after they have found trouble (or after trouble found them) early in life. There is also a description of an effective public-private partnership where work provides at-risk youth so much more than simply walking-around money.

Introduction

Most of our focus in these stories has been on programs that offer support for a redemptive fresh start among adults. The data suggests that before they become adults, the activities of children can lead to aberrant behavior later in life. What kinds of support are being offered to at-risk youth which endeavors to put them on a positive path after they have found trouble early in life?

Believe it or not, the effort to define “youth at risk” was itself more difficult than anticipated. Counselors Tidwell and Garrett, writing in the Journal of Counseling and Development (1994), argue for some consistency with the definition (Tidwell and Garrett, 1994). In their field, a solid definition allows for treatment methodologies that provide support to a young person’s presenting problem (Tidwell and Garrett, 1994). According to these authors, the term ‘at risk’ had been applied to young people as juvenile offenders, School dropouts, drug abusers, and adolescents with personality disorders, among other things (Tidwell and Garrett, 1994).

Redemption Inc.

Standing in the Gap

I became familiar with Kerri through our church. She had read my book on Redemptive Leadership and followed me on social media. She is a program coordinator for an independent nonprofit that serves as a bridge for what the agency classifies as “at-risk youth,” ages 18–24 coming out of the juvenile justice system as well as those about to move out of foster care: “aging-out” they call it. Kerri is a young woman, deeply passionate and concerned with these young people. Passionate young case workers like Kerri may be the only kind of people who can make it in this business of heartache and high turnover. She herself was part of the system for a brief time; and so she understands the difficulties (K. Henderson, personal communication, October 15, 2019).

Kerri’s agency deals with youth who are aging out of foster care. [Her agency requested anonymity in exchange for sharing information on the current state of this work]. The target age as mentioned is 18–24. In that age group, these youth are free to leave the foster care situation, but not necessarily settled into what may be their next step. Kerri works hard to help them find jobs, and to build competencies where they can maintain self-control and stay out of trouble.

If all foster care situations were ideal, children coming out of difficult parental or crisis situations would be placed into an environment of nurturing and love, which would give them the ability to know how to proceed once they reach the age where they could start making their own decisions (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2019). They might even stay with their temporary family for the stability it brings. But the reality is that many people take on children for foster care because it brings them an additional paycheck.

Children in foster care report that the ambiguity of living away from home in unfamiliar surrounding is the most difficult aspect of this transition (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2019). The foster children are not always cherished, and sometimes they don’t even feel valued in the homes of these foster parents. Often children are moved among several homes or residential treatment centers, which makes concentrating on school and building friendships difficult (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2019). So Kerri’s agency, and people like Kerri herself, battle to get into the minds and hearts of youth on the precipice, encouraging them to find stability 86

CHAPTER 8 Redemption in Other Cultures

Despising the Shame

Abstract: Much of what has been written here has been viewed in the eyes of an America-centric culture. What about redemption in other cultures? Is that a byproduct of a religious belief and its impact on the culture? I If there is no religion in the culture, or no spiritual opportunity for redemption, then does the culture even consider redemption as a viable option? Research and interview.

“For the joy set before Him, (Jesus) endured the cross, despising the shame.”

—Hebrews 12:2 “Shame is a terrible thing to endure; and many of the proudest natures have been subdued when once they have been subjected to it. In the Saviour’s case, shame would be peculiarly shameful; the nobler a man’s nature, the more readily does he perceive the slightest contempt, and the more acutely does he feel it.” —C. H. Spurgeon

Introduction

Throughout this book, the author has considered the concept of redemption and the dramatic effects of redemption on persons through whom this process has worked. Redemption is a religious term used in the Bible to describe the process of spiritual restoration and how it transforms persons who allow the process to work in them (Rightmire 1996). It is perhaps

Redemption Inc. due to the early prevalent view of America as a nation built on JudeoChristian values that this concept has also permeated the culture, with author Wilfred McClay describing redemption as a strong fundamental foundation of American culture and one of our deepest moral convictions (McClay, 2013).

Several things are assumed in the writing here; first, although redemption is a spiritual experiment, there can be evidence of life transformation displayed in terms of the restoration of individuals who have turned from aberrant behavior to a productive society. It is mainly because our culture is equipped for and built in with this concept of redemption that we as a culture are comfortable with these kinds of radical transformations (McClay, 2013). Some of this may occur by one’s own self-awareness of their desperate condition (Romans 3:23-24); but this author has documented many occasions where the failed individual needs support and encouragement to be restored to a position of contributing to society (Bucci, 2016).

But what if a culture is not experienced or comfortable with redemption? What if a culture rejects the guilt of failure as a motivation to seek transformation, and instead bridles failed individuals with shame? Must people who fail but who earnestly seek restoration be subject to social shaming resulting in deception, denial and sometimes even death?

I was asked the following question at a networking meeting: What about redemption in other cultures, what does that look like? I took the question as an opportunity to do some investigation regarding the concept and practice of redemption as translated in other cultures. The following are the results.

Living in an “Honor-Shame” Culture

Tyler Klausmeier is a US citizen who lived and worked in Japan for four years. He worked for four different agencies or organizations in his four years teaching English to Japanese children. He taught English to children from babies all the way up to high school age, and became acquainted with not only his students, but with their parents and other teachers and many different managers.