E VEN AS AMERICA'S PRISON SYSTEM IS EXPANDING AT AN unprecedented rate, Lec Griffith makes a startling proposal in this book: abelish 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.

"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."

WILL D. CAMPBELL

Author of Brether to a Dragonfly and The Comention

"A fundamental and comprehensive critique of not only prisons but also the ideology and history undergirding them. Griftich does not stop at critique, however, but suggests some directions that faithfulness points in this jaded, tough-minded era in which we live."

HOWARD ZEHR

Office on Crime and Justice Mennonite Central Committee

"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."

-LIBRARY JOURNAL

"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!"

-WALTER WINK

Auburn Theological Seminary