NEWS RELEASE by Rev. Howard Bess 2/24/03
The Alaska Christian Conference has spoken out about war, the criminal justice system, Alaska Native subsistence rights, the death penalty, and alcoholism in Alaska. The Conference held their Biennial meeting in Juneau February 18-20.
The delegates in their resolution on the prospect of war against Iraq vowed that "our first concern is the lives of friends and enemies, civilian and military, and the people of all Faiths including Christian and Muslim." Their resolution commended President George Bush "for placing the matter rightly before the Security Council of the United Nations."
The resolution concluded by urging that "the President of the United States continue support of the United Nations inspection process as long as it takes to verify the fulfillment of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441."
The Conference delegates gave the largest portion of their time to the exploding prison population of Alaska. Alaska imprisons a higher percentage of its population than any other state. Over one third of the Alaska prison population is Alaska natives. Alaska incarcerates a disproportionate number of African Americans and other racial minorities. Recidivism is out of control. The high caseloads of parole and probation officers are unmanageable. Alcohol and substance abuse are largely unaddressed. States and the federal government continue to build more prisons.
In their resolution the delegates observed that "Systems of blame, punishment and retribution have failed to produce change in human behavior or facilitate reconciliation and healing communities."
To address the issues the Christian Conference recruited two national experts on prison systems and alternatives to the present system. Evelyn Hanneman of The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North American laid out a reform proposal called Restorative Justice. Hanneman’s presentations were reinforced by Rev. Jackie Means, Director of Chaplain Services for the Episcopal Church USA. Both called for a reform of the way we respond when a crime has been committed.
Traditional American thinking asks, "Who committed the crime, and what is the appropriate penalty?" The law and the state are seen as the offended parties. In Restorative Justice the first question is "How can we repair the harm?" The victim and the surrounding community are seen as the offended parties. The concept places a premium on repair, restoration, and reuniting people, both offender and the offended, in the community. Incarceration is still used but much less frequently. Both Means and Hanneman cited anecdotal evidence that Restorative Justice is working in places where the concepts are being instituted.
In response the delegates enacted a resolution calling for "Our churches, our public institutions, and our public officials to support and facilitate understanding of Restorative Justice and its underlying principles and to apply Restorative Justice to the criminal justice system of Alaska."
The delegates renewed their commitment to Alaska Native subsistence rights and sovereignty and their opposition to the reinstatement of the death penalty in Alaska.
In another resolution the delegates observed that a 2000 study showed that about 6,000 Alaskans received treatment for substance abuse, but almost 39,000 needed treatment. The resolution called for the state policy makers and legislators to support and fund the Reforming Mandated Treatment proposal that is currently before them.
The Alaska Christian Conference is composed of Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist, American Baptist, Moravian, Disciples, Roman Catholic, Congregational, and International Council of Community Churches judicatories in Alaska. The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald, Episcopal Bishop of Alaska, is the current president.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The full text of the resolutions of The Alaska Christian Conference can be found on their website. www.ak-acc.org