June 4, 2009
by Melissa Ramirez Cooper

The Criminal Justice Task Force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met May 29-30 in Chicago to receive input from specialists and plan its work. The task force is developing a social statement on criminal justice that will address social concerns and provide a biblical and theological framework for discussion among Lutherans. A study guide, to be made available to the church in winter 2010-2011, will help lay the groundwork for a draft statement. The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is expected to consider the proposed social statement.

Cynthia Osborne said task force members represent "a remarkable diversity of expertise and perspective in criminal justice – prosecutors, defenders and judges, theologians and other academic scholars, service providers, victim and human rights advocates, and system reform experts. Beyond their professional roles and expertise, the task force members bring a wealth of life experiences as well." Osborne is chair of the task force and vice president of strategic initiatives and program development, Lutheran Services in America, Baltimore. She said many members of the task force can also speak with a personal voice. "The work of this task force is timely, as we are increasingly reminded in the media about the unsustainably high rates of incarceration in the United States, about the ineffectiveness of incarceration in reducing crime, and about the growing awareness of the need for comprehensive reform.

Osborne said the first step of the task force is to study and deliberate, "examining the issues broadly and deeply, with a commitment to making room for all points of view and always with the knowledge that the role of the task force isn't to solve our country's challenges in criminal justice, but to discern the appropriate voice and role of the church in addressing the complex issues related to criminal justice." She said the period of intensive study, which includes reading, learning from one another and from external experts, and engaging ELCA members in dialogue, will continue until winter 2010.

ELCA News Service