This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. Even as America's prison system is expanding at an unprecedented rate, Lee Griffith makes a startling proposal in this bo
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. Even as America's prison system is expanding at an unprecedented rate, Lee Griffith makes a startling proposal in this book:
abolish prisons. To make his case, Griffith thoroughly examines prisons from the perspectives of sociology, theology, history, and biblical exegesis. Bolstered with extensive documentation as well as lively anecdotal evidence, this compelling, radical book is bound to stir up serious discussion.
Will D. Campbell
—author of Brother to a Dragonfly and The Convention
"Jesus said he had come to proclaim release to prisoners. In The Fall of the Prison Lee Griffith makes what Jesus meant altogether clear. Now it is for us who have ears."
Howard Zehr
—Mennonite Central Committee
"A fundamental and comprehensive critique of not only prisons but also the ideology and history undergirding them. . . . Griffith does not stop at critique, however, but suggests some directions that faithfulness points in this jaded, tough-minded era in which we live."
Library Journal
"There is more than scholarship here. Moving anecdotes drawn from Griffith's ministerial involvement with Christian communities and his experiences as both a prisoner and a robbery victim enhance his arguments. . . . Challenging and provocative."
Walter Wink
—Auburn Theological Seminary
"Armed only with the relentless logic of the gospel, Lee Griffith unmasks the whole system of revenge that masquerades as 'correctional' institutions. His call for an end to imprisonment, so seemingly fantastic at first, builds to stark realism. And catch the surprise ending!"
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Lee Griffith is a teacher, author, and social activist currently working with a community mental health program in Elmira, New York. A frequent contributor to magazines like The Other Side, Sojourners, and Brethren Life and Thought, he is also the author of The Fall of the Prison: Biblical Perspectives on Prison Abolition, chosen by Christianity Today as one of the best books of 1993.
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