Amish Shunning and Societal Views of Ex-Offenders

Amish Shunning and Societal Views of Ex-Offenders

What is Amish Shunning?

Social shunning occurs when an individual has violated the Ordnung (guidelines for daily living) and has been excommunicated from the Amish church (also known as being in the Bann). Shunning is a form of social avoidance. It is an alteration of behavior towards an individual who has willfully violated the rules of the church. Shunning may take the form of eating separately, not doing business with a person, not accepting gifts or rides from a shunned individual, and generally excluding a person from community activities.

Similarities with Post-Incarceration Stigma

For many individuals, post-incarceration and Amish shunning share distinct similarities. As offenders try to reintegrate into society, they are met with severe opposition and social stigmas. This prevents many from finding gainful employment, housing, and education. If we want offenders to be successful in re-entry, we must first address the barriers individuals face. In this discussion, I want to show how society's religiosity has played a part in the stigmatization of felons in America, thus increasing recidivism rates by drastic proportions.

Focus on Non-Violent Offenders

In this discussion, we will not address the re-entry of violent offenders. This group makes up a small portion of the general prison population. We will address the majority. Most incarcerated individuals in America have property or drug-related offenses. The average offender serves 2 to 3 years in prison and is then released.

Historical Context of Punishment and Penitence

We have built a system on retribution, punishment, and penitence. In fact, the root word for penitentiary is penitence. The definition is: the action of feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentance. This was the original basis of our criminal justice system. Those who break the rules or that of the institutional church must be punished and work toward penitence. The idea of corrections and rehabilitation is a fairly new creation within the last 75 years. This system comes from the Puritans, who were the first in America to establish such a rigid, unforgiving system. In today's world, we find the Amish being a close extension of this original group.

Puritan Influence on Modern Society

The Puritans based their thinking on the Bible, adhering strictly to religious teachings. This foundation laid the groundwork for the rigid, unforgiving nature of today's societal views on ex-offenders. Evangelical America, with its significant political influence, has perpetuated these views. Although rehabilitation has made prisons more productive and changed the mentality of "hard time," it has failed to shift society's views of ex-offenders. Society, even in post-modern America, holds to the unforgiving nature of our Puritan forefathers, leading to the continued ostracization of released offenders.

Amish Shunning as a Parallel

Amish shunning serves a similar purpose. When an individual violates community standards, the community protects itself by keeping the shunned at a distance. This leaves no room for reintegration, reconciliation, or future hope.

The Myth of a Christian Nation

Many praise America as being a Christian nation, but this is not entirely true. We were not founded as a Christian nation. Most of our founding fathers were Deists, believing in a Supreme Creator but one that does not interfere in human affairs. This belief responded to the over-religiosity in Europe and the early colonies. Let's not forget the Salem Witch Trials or the Inquisition, times when the Bible and corrupt religious leaders ruled with a bloody, iron fist. Our founding fathers based their opinions on facts and reason. Thomas Jefferson, a great Deist, saw equality as a foundational human right and embedded this into our Declaration of Independence. However, deism has slowly faded, and evangelicalism has taken its place, aligning with the original Puritan thinking and keeping our criminal justice system stuck in a 300-year-old time capsule.

Moving Forward

Unless we make a clear distinction between fundamental fairness and Christian repentance, we will not see a fairer criminal justice system in America. We will continue to see high recidivism rates. Our society needs to stop shunning and start reintegrating.