Video to explore criminal justice system
By RENEE WEBB, Globe associate editor
Posted April 18, 2002

America's broken criminal justice system is the focus of a new video produced by Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Sioux City.

Beyond Prison: Seeking Justice for All is a 38-minute video that addresses two major consequences of the country's get tough on crime approach - the accelerating imprisonment of women/mothers and the disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans and other minorities.

According to Marilyn Murphy, social concerns facilitator of the diocese, the video is an educational tool that "might persuade people to look at punishment and ways of administering it through the lens of Catholic social teaching."

She referred to the U.S. bishop's statement, released in 2000, titled Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration - a Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice. The document's opening line stated the "response to crime in our country is a moral test for our nation and a challenge in our church."

In that document, the bishops set directions and offered policy foundations. It stressed people should resist policies that simply call for more prisons, harsher sentences, and increased reliance on the death penalty.

The video includes specific recommendations drawn from the bishops' document. The bishops encourage people to promote policies that put more resources into restoration, education, substance abuse programs and attack the leading contributors to crime - the breakdown of family life, the proliferation of handguns, drug and alcohol addiction and violence.

"At about the same time, two different groups of women - the National Council of Catholic Women and the Friends of Iowa Women Prisoners, a group led by United Methodist Church Women in Iowa - called our attention to the issue of mothers in prison and children in crisis," said Murphy.

The video looks at how the women are subject to indignities and mistreatment.

Hearings were also being held in Iowa by an ad hoc task force on the disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans in Iowa.

The social concerns facilitator of the diocese pointed to an article by the Sioux City Journal that reported on the findings of the task force. It said that Iowa leads the nation in the percentage of its black population in prison. While blacks in Iowa account for 2 percent of the population, they makeup 23 percent of the prison population. The article said that about one in 12 blacks are supervised by or are in custody of the criminal justice system.

The challenge presented by these various events and findings was not to be ignored, the video says.

In determining how best to get the information out, Murphy said they opted to produce a video that could be used by individuals, groups or organizations.

Religious/civic leaders and organizations, as well as professionals in the criminal justice system present effective alternatives to current criminal justice policies.

In an April 6, 2002, Des Moines Register article Corrections Director W.L. "Kip" Kautzky said Iowa's nine state prisons were becoming crowded with nonviolent, low-risk convicts who must spend more time behind bars because of get-tough sentencing laws that state legislators refuse to change.

The video, a project of the social concerns office of Catholic Charities and the Commission on Women, is now available. It will be promoted throughout the country as were the other social concern's video projects - Women: A Wellspring of Strength, Trust Shouldn't Betray: A Call for Action Against Child Sexual Abuse, Love Shouldn't Hurt: A Call for Action Against Domestic Violence, Healing the Wounded Spirit and Reclaiming Our Rural Heritage.

Murphy has hopes that Beyond Prison: Seeking Justice for All will be presented in every parish in the diocese by 2003.

"We believe it is important that Catholic people have the opportunity to see it and enhance their understanding of this pervasive problem," said Murphy, who extended special thanks to G.R. Lindblade for their contribution of time and energy to the video project. "We hope this brings around a new way of thinking."

Cost to purchase the video is $10. The video is available to be loaned out to parishes, parish organizations, Catholic schools and other groups in the diocese with no charge other than return mail postage. Contact Catholic Charities, 1601 Military Rd., Sioux City, IA 51103 or 712-252-4547 to make arrangements. The video is also available through the Diocesan Media Center.