ATSS: Tom Dybdahl, “I Was in Prison, and You Didn’t See Me”
29 January 2025 |
The United States excels at caging human beings. With less than 5 percent of the world’s population, we have more than 21 percent of all incarcerated people.
Currently, if you include those in our prisons and jails, plus those on probation or parole, about 5.6 million of our fellow-citizens are under penal or court supervision.
Our standard response to violent crime and rising crime rates, real or imagined, is to lock more folks up, with longer sentences. And shortly after taking office less than three weeks ago, President Trump issued an executive order calling for expanded use of the death penalty, harsher treatment for undocumented immigrants accused of offenses, and more punitive prison conditions for those convicted of serious crimes.
As followers of Jesus, and as Americans, we face some complex, challenging questions when it comes to dealing with crime and criminals. Is there a specifically Christian response to these issues? If so, what is it? How are we called to live in this time of mass incarceration? What does love require?
Teacher:
Tom Dybdahl has degrees in theology, journalism, and law. He is a former supervising staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where he worked in both the trial and appellate divisions and tried twenty-five homicide cases. He is the author of When Innocence Is Not Enough. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Moderator:
Dan and Gina Jett are attorneys from the Sacramento, California area.
How to join:
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85378572355
Passcode: PRISON {ALL CAPS}
ATSS starting time depends on where you are. If you’re on the west coast of the United States, it’ll be 10:30 AM. On the east coast, 1:30 PM. Times in Europe, Africa, and elsewhere will vary with local time changes. Please double-check the correct time where you live.
The class is intended to last about 2 hours, though the conversation often continues to 4 PM (Eastern time).
About our class:
- The AT Sabbath Seminar is intended to be a courteous forum.
- Stick to the topic in both comments and chat discussion.
- Make your comments and questions short—don’t dominate.
- Keep your microphones muted unless you are called upon to make your comment or ask your question.
- Indicate your interest in speaking by raising your electronic hand.
- Please use your name when you sign in, so we know who we’re addressing.
We look forward to getting acquainted with you!
YouTube channel:
You can see all of our previous ATSS recordings here.
Coming up:
- Bryan Ness
- Marcelo Reis
- Jim Wibberding
- Andreas Bochmann
- Warren Trenchard
- Stephen Ferguson
- Maury Jackson
- Steve Case