Despite our prosperity and all the opportunities it affords, the United States holds the title of the incarceration capital of the world. Though the efforts of our criminal justice system are vast, we know that true transformation must come from the heart. Discover how this is happening, and how the church can more effectively fulfill Christ’s command to visit those in prison and set the captives free, as we talk with Craig DeRoche.
Craig DeRoche is married to Stacey and has three daughters. He lives in Michigan and works as President of Justice Fellowship in Lansdowne, Virginia. Craig spent time in public service, and ran his own consulting business prior to joining Justice Fellowship as the Director of External Relations. Today, he is very active in using his experience, strength and hope to help others battling addictions, assisting in addiction recovery, and reforming the criminal justice system.
Craig believes that addiction enslaves the addicted. He knows that’s a hard – and perhaps startling – thing to hear, but that’s what an addiction represents. From a faith perspective, an addiction sees alcohol or drugs become your idol.
Is the justice system really equipping people to stay out of trouble? We look at whether the punishment fits the crime when it comes to combating drug related offenses.
To effectively tackle the rate of offenders who are released and return to prison, we need to address the culture inside the prison itself. We have to bring the gospel inside the prison walls. Then we also need to look at providing effective closure when an inmate’s sentence is served, and a new life as a free individual begins.
