To visit the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.

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Release of Prisoners.

Sermon by Dr. Bob Benchoff, June 16, 2002

"...proclaim release to the captives..." -- Jesus Christ circa 30 AD

Some people say be tough on crime, yet Jesus Christ said be just.

Some people say build more prisons, yet innocent people are arrested everyday.

Some people say stop the revolving door policy, yet people continue to be illegally thrown in jail because of how they look.

A politician told me it was his experience that when people said "be tough on crime", what they really wanted were more laws with tighter regulations, a police state. He also said he rode in patrol cars and normally saw illegal police activities by certain officers because those officers thought it was fun, they got an adreneline rush. Innocent people's lives were constantly put in danger, for fun.

Mention such a thing, and the quick response is a comparison to other countries where torture is widespread. If someone mentions such a thing, the tables are often turned and their patriotism is questioned.

Nonetheless, you should mention such a thing if you want to be and remain the world leader in the cause of freedom, an example of liberty, righteousness, and democracy in action, where the military is led by the elected.

Tough on crime is right, tough on people is wrong. People are a blessing from God, each having Yeis. If the people have unacceptable disorders, let's work on those disorders.

We don't kill or torture someone because they have a brain tumor, likewise we shouldn't handcuff someone just because they are not good at decision making. Not everyone is as smart as you.

If some few break the law, their motives and circumstances should be examined, toward improving their morals. If many break the law, the system should be improved.

The Bible has important lessons to be learned, such as Acts 16.28 (How patriotic is that?) and Acts 9.5 (having translations that widely vary). Also, if we as a nation by the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution concern ourselves with prisoners' rights, then how much more should we concern ourselves with the rights of the innocent, particularly those wrongly arrested, handcuffed (or otherwise abused), and jailed prior to trial?

Arresting officers are not jurys nor judges. To arrest someone without being able to immediately clearly say why they are being arrested is a crime. This removes the guesswork and increases safety for victims and officers.

Reading rights is not nearly as important as telling the reason for the arrest prior to, or at the moment of arrest. Waiting longer, sometimes a day, to decide on a charge is sadly ludicrous.

Arresting officers are victims too. They shouldn't have to wrestle people, lives are at stake, as is the nation to some degree.

Officers are authorized to control certain overpowering forces. If an arresting officer gives no immediate and clear reason for the arrest, the arresting officer is guilty of illegal arrest.

Clarity is vital. A good officer must know what law was broken prior to contemplating arrest. Lack of clarity allows bias feelings and haphazard opinions to interfere with reasoning after the fact of the time of arrest.

I was a passenger in a car when a police officer pulled it over. The officer indicated the driver may have been speeding and had him get out of the car. The driver said there were no speed limit signs and he drove this way to work every day and everyone went that speed. The driver was upset yet orderly. The officer was getting frustrated, cuffed the driver, and started hitting the driver in the stomach. I asked what was going-on and the officer stopped.

This example of lack of clarity in the officer's mind shows how easily situations lose control and snowball. I saw my friend beaten for no legal reason. Another person in my place might have had a gun and shot the officer.

Clarity is consistent with control. Aside from simply escorting someone, the more that officers wrestle or otherwise physically interact with people, the less control they maintain.

In another case (I was not there), a friend had a birthday party that he later admitted was too loud (he was a musician and his band sometimes played in his basement). A neighbor called the police due to the noise. Two officers arrived, took my friend away from the other people, and began to severely beat him.

The neighbor who had called the police and the other people begged the officers to stop. Later, the officers were suspended. The officers stated that just prior to the incident they had wrestled people in another case, so they were still pumped-up.

People don't like to be the victims of high pressure sales, let alone high pressure enforcement; people want thinking officers, not rabbled officers. People (including officers) want to be treated fairly, not haphazardly.

I know someone that was arrested daily due to his appearance. He had a clean record (no convictions), yet would be illegally singled-out and arrested, investigated, and released routinely on his way to and from work.

I know a person that was arrested routinely according to which vehicle he drove. He showed other people illegal actions of police with amazing predictability. He showed that when he drove one vehicle, there were no arrests, but when he drove his other vehicle just as carefully, he was illegally singled-out, investigated a few minutes, and released.

A quick overview of prison capacity will show that many people are not released. Many of those are innocent victims, which only serves to further endanger prison security officers.

When innocent people are convicted, the prison guards have that many more people to control. Overcrowding increases inmate tensions and tax payer burden, while decreasing guard safety. The more that innocent people are convicted, the more that those other convicts having corrupt thoughts gain power and freedom.

One of the easiest gauges of a nation's value system is to look at the prisons. It shows if rehabilitation is important to that society, or if torture is preferred by that society.

Not arresting innocent people is important. It is also important to work to correct the source of the corruption problem.

If someone has a brain tumor rendering wrong behavior, let's remove it. If someone has poor decision making skills, let's educate them in a focused way (specific to their conviction and behavior type, and specific to them personally), then with sufficient progress (progress rate adjusted as needed) let's allow them to work under close supervision, then with progress evidenced, grant progressive freedom.

There are better solutions than simple serving of time. All too often, simply serving time offers little public and police protection once the time has been served. The tendency toward back to old habits when out on the street again, is a learned response. It represents all they know: the only comfort they know.

Let's work toward a free and open society where people can be trusted. Let's decide to make it happen. Instead of saying we are a nation of people that hang around street corners hassling tourists for nickels, let's work to say that we are a nation of honorable citizens.

The point is to have all people of honor: for the greater glory of God.

You are invited to read Isiah Chapter 61 for more technical beneficial details.

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To visit the Internet Church of Christ founded by Dr. Bob Benchoff, click here.