Throughout my ministry as bishop I have visited periodically each year various prisons around the diocese. For instance, every Good Friday I visit the Greensville Correctional Center. Two years ago the room was full because Catholic inmates came to Virginia from Michigan, Delaware and New Hampshire. One of the insights I had over the years since visiting the Virginia State Penitentiary, then a few blocks from the Cathedral in Richmond, is that those in prison can identify more readily with the liturgy of Good Friday than that of Christmas. Every year on Christmas Eve, I celebrate Mass at the Federal Prison in Petersburg where Father John P. Blankenship serves as head chaplain. Once or twice a year I celebrate Mass for Catholics on Death Row.

Most of Virginia’s prison institutions are located in southern Virginia. Every year our Commonwealth spends over $100 million just to warehouse people, the majority of whom are African-Americans or other minority groups. I like to fault the name of the Virginia prison system as the Department of Corrections. In my judgment little or no rehabilitation takes place within prison walls. For one thing, prison overcrowding has become a way of life. The lack of resources for drug rehabilitation and needed counseling is a reality. Simply put, our state prisons are houses of punishment without any effort being made for constructive rehabilitation. We all must remember that most prisoners will one day be given parole. What a tragedy and danger for all of us that those being released have probably become more dangerous than when they entered. That is why I support half-way houses which provide a good environment during the time of transition.

Let me assure the reader that I am not “soft on crime” nor do I believe in so-called mollycoddling of prisoners. I like to feel safe, free from the threat of crime like anyone else. I also believe that no matter what the crime, every prisoner should be treated with dignity and respect. So often those in prison have themselves first been victims of violence and in later life act out those experiences on others. Also I have concern for victims of crime who are often forgotten in our ministry. Several years ago, I along with interfaith clergy, was instrumental in having the Virginia General Assembly approve a bill to compensate victims of crime.

I am very pleased and grateful that many of our parishes have a specific prison ministry with parish volunteers visiting prisoners on a weekly or monthly basis. I find that we can glamorize outreach to prisons and overlook the harsh reality that serious crimes were usually committed. At the same time, we must reach out to those who are most forgotten, rejected and neglected of society. I receive letters from parents who seek my help, especially when a family member is up for parole. Unfortunately Virginia has laws that stipulate “no parole” for certain crimes. Sentences in Virginia courts tend to be long and harsh. This in itself explains the overcrowded conditions. The Virginia Parole Board, for whatever reason, seems reluctant to grant a parole, citing in one sentence announcing its decision, “parole denied because of the seriousness of the crime.” Since Virginia has over 100,000 persons in prison it is understandable that a parole board of a few people can give only a cursory glance at each case.

Jubilee 2000 calls us as a jubilee people to take a fresh look at our attitudes toward those incarcerated and the system that favors punishment and vengeance over rehabilitation. Our own church, under the leadership of Pope John Paul II, has called for an end to capital punishment because it is “both cruel and unnecessary.” For me, capital punishment is a pro-life issue. If all life is sacred as we like to proclaim, then an individual, no matter how heinous the crime, does not forfeit that sacredness and personal dignity. Society can protect itself without putting persons to death under the heading of legalized homicide. Around the country there is a growing demand for a moratorium on the death penalty. It is a recognized fact that racial bias as well as low quality legal counsel for poor defendants play a major role in determining who ends up on Death Row. Also recent reports clearly show that many innocent persons receive the death penalty.

Let us always be supportive of those who promote the common good of society. Theirs is not an easy vocation because of the prevalence of violence and crime in our country. Many have an infatuation with guns. The saying goes that “guns don’t kill people; people do.” We need to add to that statement: “True, but it is people with guns who do the killing.” Until we live in communities where people grow in mutual respect for one another, the number of 2 million people in our prisons will only increase. Let us promote a Jubilee spirit in addressing the criminal justice system in our country and in our Commonwealth.