Continuing Education Seminar on Criminal Justice Held
Diocesan Press Service. December 4, 1974 [74339]
ATLANTA, Ga. -- "The Church, Correctional Institutions and Criminal Justice" was the theme of a seminar that brought clergy and laity from across the country to the Absalom Jones Theological Institute (AJTI) November 20-23 in Atlanta, Ga. The seminar was sponsored by the AJTI and the Episcopal Commission of Black Ministries of the Executive Council on the campus of the Interdenominational Theological Center where AJTI is based as one of the affiliates of this Black Consortium of seven theological schools that includes United Methodist, United Presbyterian, Christian Methodist, African Methodist, Baptist, Church of God in Christ, and Episcopal.
The rapid rise in crime in our cities, the increased blackness of the prison population, the alarming statistics that indicate there are more black youth between ages 18-25 in prison than on college campuses, and the pressing need for the reform of the criminal justice system were among some of the urgent concerns calling for such a seminar.
The objectives of the seminar were: (1) to expose participants to data about criminal reform through reading material, lectures, visits to correctional institutions, including talks with inmates and correctional officials, (2) to expose participants to many different models of personal and congregational involvement in criminal rehabilitation with in-depth analyses of these models, (3) to assess the motivation of participants for actions in problems of criminal reform through small group sessions specifically designed to accomplish this goal, and (4) to help the participants develop a written procedure of how they will work to mobilize and develop both congregational and community resources as they return to respective localities to work with the problems of criminal reform.
The opening session was an address b y the Rev. Edward N. Rodman, Diocese of Massachusetts, entitled "A Theological Perspective of Church and Corrections." The major points of the address were:
1. Our present prison systems should be abolished because they exist as politics of avoidance and are not the rehabilitative centers that they should be.
2. We have not challenged as seriously as we should the inequities of our courts, police, etc.
3. There must be a grass roots sense of responsibility in our communities that will begin to investigate seriously the total prison and punishment system of our society.
4. The Church community should be a healing community and establish a priority concern and interest in the human sufferings of prisoners and the problems of ex-offenders.
On Thursday, November 21, the seminar group visited two of the correctional institutions in Atlanta: Fulton County Jail and the Atlanta Correctional Center where the seminar members had discussions with inmates and prison officials.
The seminar involved the participants in reflections on the prison visitations, feelings and new insights gained through their discussion with inmates and officials, the exploration and development of various models that possibly could be used by congregations and concerned individuals as volunteers in such areas in the criminal justice system as Moral Bail and Third Party Custody; Cell Block visitations providing for regular visits to inmates by clergy and concerned lay people; the establishment of Half-way Houses, Community Counseling Groups to introduce the ex-offender to new social contacts, and to work through problems regarding his (her) re-entry into society.
A very vital aspect of the seminar was that it provided workshops concentrating on the development of strategies by which ideas and new insights from the sessions could be carried home and hopefully implemented in the localities where such programs are needed.
Participants in the seminar included representatives from the Dioceses of Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, Atlanta, Southern Virginia, Washington, Ohio, New York, and Los Angeles. Invited participants from other denominations were: The Rev. Archie and Mrs. I (an attorney) Rich (United Methodist), chaplain-coordinator, Metropolitan Jail Ministries, Detroit; the Rev. William Reid (Presbyterian), chaplain, Cook County Jail, Chicago; the Rev. Arthur McFadden (Presbyterian), St. Louis, Mo.; and the Rev. George Champion (African Methodist Episcopal), Orlando, Fla.
The Rev. Kyle McGee, chaplain, Georgetown University, Diocese of Washington, served as seminar co-ordinator.