For
some weeks now a group of Northland people have been preparing for
this year's Angel
Tree. It's under the umbrella of Prison Fellowship in which local
people have been very active especially since the building of the
Corrections Facility at Ngāwhā. Sue Nash (of Holy Family Church)
has been an inspiration and Parish Council appreciates Jessica
Scott's willingness to front for our parish, along with the
Robinsons. Angel Tree
contributes to a crucial factor in life after incarceration – that
there is a viable family life to return to and that the person knows
he has a place among his family and his community.
In
a recent Herald
article I read that Corrections minister Anne Tolley had taken a
shine to an English prison initiative. Certain inmates at Doncaster
are allowed to spend lengthy periods with their children, in a family
friendly area. The scheme is understandably limited to minimum
security fathers who pass behaviour standards.
"While
we were there, there was a father who was bathing his 18-month-old
daughter. She comes in once a week, and the two of them go through a
normal parenting day. He has a day with his little one and he has
done [this] since she was born," Mrs Tolley said. "It's
to try and maintain those links, so they don't miss the development
of that child, so the child gets the benefit of a dad."
She asked them about
the record of violence with this scheme. She said, “they looked at
me as if I was nuts.”
How do you react to
this? Or more generally, what do you think when you hear about
kindness to people convicted of crimes? There's a prevailing
attitude that considers prison is about making wrong-doers pay. If
they're not suffering, then the system is going soft on them. It is
so easy to get sucked into the dominant culture's cries for
retribution and punishment.
I heard a senior
police officer say recently that the people they most often come into
contact with “are victims too”. His big concern is the issue not
being tackled even though it is the major contributer to the crimes
they encounter most. The issue is alcohol and it's almost always
there, be it drugs (more time spent drinking before and after drug
taking), violence, sexual abuse, car accidents... It makes sense to
Police that when they are dealing with offenders they offer to put
them in touch with help: 0800 787797 for Alcohol Drug Helpline. In
Northland a trial is running whereby Emergency Departments and the
Police can, with the person's permission, make a referral so that a
helpline caller will contact the person. It is much easier to
respond to a phone call than to make the initial call. Already the
stats are impressive about the help being received and changes made.
Back to the matter
of attitude. Against the dominant culture of retribution, which
labels wrong-doers and risks leaving them on the outer of a normal
life, the Christian Way provides us with a counter-culture: a much
more effective attitude and one that is true to our humanity because
it is true to our spiritual foundation.
The law of the land
says, a person is innocent until proven guilty, and when proven it is
hard to gauge when that guilt ceases.
The law of our God
says, a person is loved regardless.
That's my starting
point, ending point, and everything in between. Victims loved and
needing compassion and understanding; perpetrators loved and needing
compassion and understanding. I am impressed, from my limited
knowledge, with prison guards. For us outside it can be hard because
we think of the awful things prisoners are in for. The guards seem to
me to be enacting this principle, not focussing on what the person
has done but treating all equally as people who matter. And of
course wise to individuals' ways: “as cunning as serpents and as
open as doves”, in the words of the Master (Jesus).
Often in our church
it is like we're in another world: no swearing or abusing, no
drunkenness or violence. Then I remember that among our relations are
people of all sorts – if not our blood relations, then our
relations because of our shared humanity. Equally, unconditionally,
loved by God.
Prison Fellowship's
motto is “Transform, Restore, Reconcile.” If you'd like to help
build bridges for offenders to live good, healthy lives after prison,
get in touch with Alan Robinson. He's our parish secretary but, more
importantly, he's the Mid-North Chair of Prison Fellowship.
Shalom,
Robyn
We
tend to turn off the people we most need to hear. The people to whom
we are least attracted often have the most to teach us. If we
identify those to whom we are least drawn, we can make a special
effort to listen to them attentively.... Answers can shut down
growth; good questions encourage growth. Answers sometimes terminate
our listening; questions stimulate further listening.
Source: Listening
Hearts
