The Fall of the Prison: Biblical Perspectives on Prison Abolition

by Lee Griffith

Overview

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable.

Even as America's prison system is expanding at an unprecedented rate, Lee Griffith makes a startling proposal in this book: abolish prisons. To make his case, Griffith thoroughly examines prisons from the perspectives of sociology, theology, history, and biblical exegesis. Bolstered with extensive documentation as well as lively anecdotal evidence, this compelling, radical book is bound to stir up serious discussion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802806703
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/05/1993
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Lee Griffith is a teacher, author, and social activistcurrently working with a community mental health programin Elmira, New York. A frequent contributor to magazineslike The Other Side, Sojourners, and BrethrenLife and Thought, he is also the author of TheFall of the Prison: Biblical Perspectives on PrisonAbolition, chosen by Christianity Today as oneof the best books of 1993.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Preface	xi
I.	Prisons and the Relevance of the Gospel	1
	The Temporal Relevance of the Kingdom	5
	Traditional Appeals to Romans 13 and the Theologies of Two Kingdoms	23
II.	Prisons and the Social Order	29
	The Illusion of Rehabilitation	39
	The Illusion of Deterrence	51
	The Cult of Retribution	58
	Inside	69
	Scapegoats	78
III.	Prisons and the Bible	87
	Prisons and the Old Testament	89
	Prisons and the New Testament	102
	Jesus the Prisoner	118
IV.	Prisons and the Churches	127
	The Early Church	137
	Christendom	141
	Prison Reform/Prison Entrenchment	157
V.	Prisons and Discipleship	177
	Our Shared Criminality	181
	Alternatives to What?	187
	Seeking to Live the Fall of the Prison	203
	Bibliography	229
	Index of Scripture References	251
	Index of Names and Subjects	254

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Jesus said he had come to proclaim release to prisoners. In The Fall of the Prison Lee Griffith makes what Jesus meant altogether clear. Now it is for us who have ears." - Will D. Campbell

Editorial Reviews

Will D. Campbell
—author of Brother to a Dragonfly and The Convention
"Jesus said he had come to proclaim release to prisoners. In The Fall of the Prison Lee Griffith makes what Jesus meant altogether clear. Now it is for us who have ears."

Howard Zehr
—Mennonite Central Committee
"A fundamental and comprehensive critique of not only prisons but also the ideology and history undergirding them. . . . Griffith does not stop at critique, however, but suggests some directions that faithfulness points in this jaded, tough-minded era in which we live."

Library Journal
"There is more than scholarship here. Moving anecdotes drawn from Griffith's ministerial involvement with Christian communities and his experiences as both a prisoner and a robbery victim enhance his arguments. . . . Challenging and provocative."

Walter Wink
—Auburn Theological Seminary
"Armed only with the relentless logic of the gospel, Lee Griffith unmasks the whole system of revenge that masquerades as 'correctional' institutions. His call for an end to imprisonment, so seemingly fantastic at first, builds to stark realism. And catch the surprise ending!"

From the Publisher