Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church recognize that this Convention affirm that Jesus proclaimed freedom for prisoners (Luke 4:18) and promised the possibility of justice aimed at restoration even for those who murdered him (Luke 23:34), and thus that our baptismal vow to “proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ” calls us to proclaim God’s desire for liberation for all who are incarcerated and for real justice and accountability that restores relationships, transforms situations of harm, creates community-centered safety, and aims at reconciliation, which is the core mission of the Church; and be it further 

Resolved, That this Convention affirm that reducing the number of people incarcerated in the current system of prisons and responsible policing is a moral obligation and advocate for greater justice in the use of incarceration and in the methods of policing, recognizing that the current state of our prisons and policing form an inequitable system of racial control and a site of violence and dehumanization that does not resemble nor bring about the liberating and reconciling Reign of God; and be it further 

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church encourage all Episcopalians, parishes, congregations, dioceses, and prison ministries to engage at the local level in restorative and transformative justice programs, which seek to prevent and respond to crime and harm in creative and non-violent ways beyond prisons and policing; and be it further 

Resolved, That this Convention encourage parishes, congregations, dioceses, and prison ministries to learn and teach about prison reform including abolition and uphold Christian values within the contexts of their own ongoing work for social justice; and be it further 

Resolved, That this Convention hereby reaffirm and deepen The Episcopal Church’s commitment to advocacy for policy changes to end mass incarceration (Resolution 2015-A011) and defend the rights of disabled persons within the criminal legal system (Resolution 2015-D-32); and The Episcopal Church’s opposition to solitary confinement (Resolution 2018-D029), private prisons (Resolution 2015-D067), monetary bail (Resolution 1973-D097), and the school-to-prison pipeline (Resolution 2015-D068); and be it further 

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church further direct the Office of Governmental Relations and urge all Episcopalians, parishes and congregations, and dioceses to advocate for policy efforts consistent with the goal of reforming prisons and policing, including reforms aimed at focusing police budgets in other community needs, such as these specific policies: 

• Supporting policies for reducing traditional funding of police departments and investing more in community-based policing, and mental health/crisis response 

• Supporting monetary investment in community needs such as affordable housing, health care, and education 

• Supporting restorative and transformative justice efforts in the criminal legal system that bring about restitution, accountability, and healing for both perpetrators and victims 

• Supporting quality of life and rehabilitation of prisoners  

• Supporting capital improvements of prisons that will improve quality of life for incarcerated people and support education and rehabilitation programs rather than continued investment in increased capacity; 

And be it further 

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church further direct the Office of Government Relations and urge all Episcopalians, parishes and congregations, and dioceses to oppose policies which do not lead toward the reform of prisons and policing, including: 

• Opposing increased investment in police budgets for new hires or police “training” programs inconsistent with these goals 

• Opposing police militarization through the sale or provision of military supplies from the federal government to municipal and state police departments 

• Opposing governmental plans to open new prisons or jails, including plans for facilities for specific populations, such as immigrant detention facilities (see Resolution 2022-D031) 

And be it further 

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church urge the Committee on Corporate and Social Responsibility and Episcopal Migration Ministries to take reform of prisons and policing into account in their advocacy and decision-making. 

That the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church recognize that the moral witness of the Church stands against racially-inequitable practices of exclusion and punishment and against our current systems of prisons and policing which function as racist systems of social control and treat people who have committed crimes as disposable; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention repent of the fact that The Episcopal Church never adopted resolutions calling for the abolition of chattel slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries, and repent for our complicity in the our society’s ongoing racially-inequitable reliance on policing and prisons to produce security for some people at the expense of the lives and dignity of others; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention affirm that Jesus proclaimed freedom for prisoners (Luke 4:18) and promised the possibility of justice aimed at restoration even for those who murdered him (Luke 23:34), and thus that our baptismal vow to “proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ” calls us to proclaim God’s desire for liberation for all who are incarcerated and for real justice and accountability that restores relationships, transforms situations of harm, and aims at reconciliation, which is the core mission of the Church; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention affirm that abolition of the current system of prisons and policing is a moral obligation and advocate for the abolition of prisons and policing, recognizing that prisons and policing form an inequitable system of racial control and a site of violence and dehumanization that does not resemble nor bring about the liberating and reconciling justice of God; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church encourage all Episcopalians, parishes, congregations, dioceses, and prison ministries to engage at the local level in restorative and transformative justice programs, which seek to prevent and respond to crime and harm in creative and non-violent ways beyond prisons and policing; and encourage parishes, congregations, dioceses, and prison ministries to learn and teach about abolition and uphold abolitionist values within the contexts of their own ongoing work for social justice; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention hereby reaffirm and deepen The Episcopal Church’s commitment to advocacy for policy changes to end mass incarceration (Resolution 2015-A011) and defend the rights of disabled persons within the criminal legal system (Resolution 2015-D-32); and The Episcopal Church’s opposition to solitary confinement (Resolution 2018-D029), private prisons (Resolution 2015-D067), monetary bail (Resolution 1973-D097), and the school-to-prison pipeline (Resolution 2015-D068); and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church further direct the Office of Governmental Relations and urge all Episcopalians, parishes and congregations, and dioceses to advocate for policy efforts consistent with the goal of the abolition of prisons and policing, including reforms aimed at disinvesting from police and reinvesting police budgets in other community needs, such as these specific policies:

• Supporting efforts to close prisons and jails, and policies that release incarcerated people; opposing governmental plans to open new prisons or jails, including plans for facilities for specific populations, such as immigrant detention facilities (see Resolution 2022-D031)
• Supporting policies for reducing police budgets or disinvesting from policing
• Supporting monetary investment in community needs such as affordable housing, health care, and education, because investment in poverty reduction, health, and education in fact reduces crime and promotes public safety
• Supporting restorative and transformative justice efforts in the criminal legal system that bring about restitution, accountability, and healing for both perpetrators and victims;

And be it further

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church further direct the Office of Governmental Relations and urge all Episcopalians, parishes and congregations, and dioceses to oppose reform policies which do not lead toward the abolition of prisons and policing, including:

• Opposing increased investment in police budgets for new hires or police “training” programs, because larger police forces and new training do not shift resources towards other community needs that address the underlying causes of crime.
• Opposing police militarization and NDAA Section 1033, the federal act which provides for selling military supplies to police departments
• Opposing the prosecution and incarceration of police officers for excessive force and civil rights violations, because prosecution of high-profile cases does not change the resources given to other community needs, and reinforces the punitive logic of prisons and policing
• Opposing reforms that offer supposed “alternatives” to prison like electronic monitoring or house arrest, which actually increase the scope of systems of incarceration and criminalization, and increase the number of people under correctional control
• Opposing reforms that aim to build “better” prisons, such as by focusing on specific populations or by replacing old jails and prisons with newer facilities, which requires further investment in the carceral system;

And be it further

Resolved, That this Convention of The Episcopal Church urge the Committee on Corporate and Social Responsibility and Episcopal Migration Ministries to take abolitionist opposition to prisons and policing into account in their advocacy and decision-making.