On Thursday, Pope Francis delivered a speech before a joint session of Congress during which he advocated for the global abolition of the death penalty. He also cheered criminal justice reform advocates by saying he was “convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.”
On Sunday, Francis will visit the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, Philadelphia’s largest jail, where he will speak and minister to 100 inmates and their families.
Francis’ outreach to prisoners should be seen as a key part of his engagement with society’s most marginalized people — people in whom he sees himself. “Why did God allow that I shouldn’t be here?” Francis says he asks himself whenever he visits a prison.
Francis’ visit to CFCF also sheds a slightly different light on America’s criminal justice system. CFCF is a jail, not a prison, so the vast majority of inmates there are awaiting trial or are currently on trial. Most have not been convicted. Many will spend months or years waiting to get to trial because they cannot afford bail. By one estimate, 12 million people go to jail in America every year.
I asked several leading criminal justice reform advocates what they hope Pope Francis will say and do when he visits CFCF. Here are their responses:
Holly Harris, executive director, U.S. Justice Action Network, a bipartisan advocacy organization working to reform the criminal justice system:
“Pope Francis is not a leader who sticks his finger in the air to see which way the winds blow. We hope and believe he will appeal to our collective conscience, speak boldly to specific criminal justice reforms and challenge America to lead on these issues.”
Marc Levin, director, Center for Effective Justice, Texas Public Policy Foundation, policy director, Right on Crime, “the one-stop source for conservative ideas on criminal justice”:
“We look forward to the Pope’s historic visit to a U.S. prison and are confident that this will only add to the growing momentum for criminal justice reforms that enhance public safety and provide an opportunity for individuals who have made a mistake to become productive members of society. While it is clear that criminal justice reforms in states such as Texas, Georgia and South Carolina have saved taxpayers billions of dollars and contributed to continued declines in crime, the Pope’s engagement on this issue highlights the importance of human dignity and redemption. Just as we must hold those who break the law accountable for their actions, I believe the Pope’s visit will also remind us that people can change and encourage policymakers to ensure that avenues for transformation such as drug courts, mentoring programs and mental health treatment are more widely utilized.”
Zachary Norris, executive director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a non-profit strategy and action center working for justice, opportunity and peace in urban America:
“Pope Francis’ visit to a U.S. prison provides a clear opportunity to address the moral issues within criminal justice reform. Much of the momentum surrounding prison reform has been related to the failed economics of mass incarceration, but our country’s predatory criminalization and incarceration of largely low-income communities of color is also an ethical problem. Instead of caring for people and supporting communities, the criminal justice system addresses every social ill with a punishment solution. The report released by the Ella Baker Center, Forward Together and dozens of other organizations last week illustrates that families are the ones most harmed by the imprisonment of their loved ones and that when a person is released from prison, they and their families face too many barriers to get back on their feet. Our hope is that Pope Francis will call on Congress to not only reduce sentences, but also support families and the possibility of redemption by reinvesting resources in employment, education, healthcare and housing, instead of prisons and punishment.”
Salma Mirza, director of Nation Inside, a network of grassroots organizations working to end mass incarceration:
“I hope Pope Francis has the opportunity to hear stories about the economic and emotional impact of mass incarceration on prisoners and their families. I hope he speaks out against the practice of charging family members extraordinarily high fees to deposit money or talk to their loved ones inside. We need him to shine a light on how our justice system has been turned into a profit center for corporations.”
Daniel Allott is deputy commentary editor for the Washington Examiner
