The criminal justice system in the United States is very complex and there is no single solution to fix the issues. The prison system has many people incarcerated for minor drug offenses and there should be other alternatives than jail terms. Jail terms should be part of the solution but not the first and only solution. A holistic approach is required to deal with minor drug offenses.

The first aspect is to ensure that people are accountable for their actions. If they think their actions are excusable because of their environment, they are probably more resistant to salvation through God’s grace.^[1] People that are mentally ill are the exceptions but those that grew up on the “wrong side” of the tracks should not be exempt. There are many that think they are a victim of their environment and that they will do whatever is needed to “survive.”

There is a constant deterioration of family values and moral duties that contribute to the worsening environment that the youth are growing up in. Single parents are trying to raise children and they are not making the time to raise their children with Christian values as they might not have been converted themselves or they have circumstances that make them think they can’t.  Many parents rely on society and the government to teach their children, but they also get upset when their child is punished in a way they do not approve of. More than one in three people in state prison were first arrested before they turned sixteen years old.[2] This reinforces the need for strong Christian values and teachings in the home and when a person is under sixteen. This also includes tailoring the education within the school system to assist in forming values that align with Christian and society values, so they do not enter prison at such an early age. The children are the future, but not enough resources are focused on them. The body of Christ, the church, which are the Christians, need to spend much more resources on the youth. Some churches target 13–35-year-olds, but their programs are minimal when it comes to instilling what is needed to avoid minor drug offenses and other actions that are counter to Christian values. The education system needs to reform the teaching curriculum, so it is aligned with the needs of Americans today (e.g. values and moral duty). The school system is where children are interacting with other children and being introduced to drugs. Poudel and Gautam state, “More than 81.2% drug users have experience of first-time drug intake before they reach 20 years. More than 32% of drug users took drug first time in their life as early as 15 years.”[3] The reform of the school system should address addictions (smoking, gambling, drugs, etc.) along with the legal ramifications when breaking the law such as long-term consequences of having a criminal record.

The prison system needs a major reform, but there are other alternatives to be considered when dealing with minor drug offenses. Deprivation of rights, long-term monetary fine, expropriation of property, and community service assignments should be integrated into the criminal justice system as alternatives to first-time offenders on minor drug offenses. The four purposes of punishment, rehabilitation, justice, protect the innocent, and deterrence have biblical support and should be emphasized in law and criminal justice.^[4] The local citizens also have a responsibility of reducing what is tolerated in their community. The police are understaffed and people are afraid of retaliation from the local drug dealers, but there should be better reporting available for the community to anonymously report drug activity so it gets stopped sooner. McQuilkin and Copan state, “the greatest contribution the Christian and the church can make toward deterrence is to faithfully teach God’s holy standards and God’s holy judgment.”^[5]

Note from Professor: Helpful analysis of the intersection of the Gospel, law, and societal ills. – Dr. Todd Buck

Bibliography

McQuilkin, Robertson, and Paul Copan. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom. 3rd ed. Lisle, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014.

Poudel, Anju, and Sital Gautam. “Age of onset of substance use and psychosocial problems among individuals with substance use disorders.” BMC Psychiatry 17, no. 10, (2017) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5225546/

Prison Policy Initiative. “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024.” Reports. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2024.html

^[1] Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom, Third edition. (IVP, 2014), 431.

[2] “Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2024,” Reports, Prison Policy Initiative, slideshow 5, https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2024.html

[3] Anju Poudel and Sital Gautam, “Age of onset of substance use and psychosocial problems among individuals with substance use disorders,” BMC Psychiatry 17, no. 10, (2017): Background, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5225546/

^[4] McQuilkin and Copan, An Introduction, 435.

^[5] Ibid., 443.