Prisoners’ Sunday and how we can make our justice system work better

The strapline for this year’s Prisoners’ Sunday is “This day...with me...paradise” – a deliberately distilled version of the promise Jesus made to the criminal crucified beside him. When I arrived at Pact two years ago, I learned that in England and Wales we incarcerate more people per capita than any other country in Western Europe. At that time that there were 78,000 people in prison. This number is expected to grow further. Why are we locking more people up when we know it doesn’t work? Established research, such as by the National Audit Office, shows no link between rates of incarceration and levels of crime in society. 

I have been at meetings where politicians on all sides assured us that “the public” refuse to accept policy directions which might be construed as “soft on crime”. But I have been in spaces where people were moved to tears when they heard someone speaking about what it was like to serve their prison sentence in this country – and the impact on their family.

As the prison population rises, so does the number of children and family members affected by the criminal justice system. In one of Pact’s short films, a woman whose partner was sent to prison describes how families serve a hidden sentence that “the public is just not sympathetic to”. She goes on to say that in her partner’s case, she believes that he deserves to be in prison yet she still “lost friends”.

As Christians I think we struggle with balancing a feeling of achieving justice for people who are victims of crime against recognising that mistakes, or sins, do not define us – because everyone can be redeemed.

The much-quoted line about “locking them up and throwing away the key” does not reflect the gospel. Confronting a temptation to permanently exclude people who have committed crime from our community, Jesus says, “I was in prison and you visited me.”

Catholic people are part of “the public” and we can be important voices in our communities, speaking up for people affected by imprisonment. But would Catholic people know to tell affected family members about the National Prisoners’ Families Helpline offering them help and advice, seven days a week?

The Welcome Directory is a register of faith communities who have made some preparations and are ready to welcome people leaving prison. Of the 1800 or so Catholic parishes across England and Wales, only a dozen have got themselves listed in the Directory – and so there are many dioceses where not a single parish has publicly declared that they want to offer a welcome to prison leavers.

At Pact, we speak about making sure that prisons are used sparingly and as places of rehabilitation. We support family members and family relationships – especially because this approach leads to a 39 per cent reduction in the chances of someone returning to crime after prison.  

There are some fantastic people working or volunteering in prisons and in the broader criminal justice system. Plenty of women and men who have struggled through a prison sentence are willing to stick around and use their experience to help make criminal justice work better. Investing in mental health support and in substance abuse treatments and using effective community sentencing rather than custody, can both satisfy a sense of justice and meet the needs of many people who could then turn their lives around and be there for their families without ever being imprisoned. We know how to reduce crime and build safer communities.

Let Prisoners’ Sunday this year lead to action by Catholic people, as well as prayer and financial support for the people we serve and the work we do at Pact.

Theresa Alessandro is Catholic Community Engagement Manager for Pact, the Prison Advice and Care Trust.

Donate to Pact’s Prisoners’ Sunday Appeal

Pact operates the National Prisoners’ Families Helpline on behalf of His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Call the Freephone number for help and advice: 0808 808 2003

Email us and we’ll send you a Prisoners’ Families Helpline poster for your church or community hub. parish.action@prisonadvice.org.uk