When thinking about the public policies of policing and prisons, we often forget to ask, “Whose law?” and “Whose order?” Our ideas of “law and order” vary drastically across people groups and are highly influenced by the culture(s) we have come from and the cultural ideas we’ve been raised with and embrace as “good.”

In most conversations in the USA, the terms law and order are reflective of our overall cultural values embracing toughness and aggressiveness. It is so much so that we believe to have “law and order” means we must rule the unruly with an iron fist, to punish harshly for the purpose of retribution.  Masculine cultures (as defined by Hofstede) normalize these attitudes and behaviors and are also focused on material success, driven by a “cutthroat” mentality. “Law and order” militarization and profit margins of both the policing and prison systems are built upon the assumptions of militarism that are typical of aggressive cultures like the United States, United Kingdom, and other Western cultures.

We use the standard of “raise yourself by your bootstraps” to guide our laws and public policies regarding how people should be treated when they fall short of societal expectations. We expect the “fallen” to not only pick themselves up but to also do it with little assistance.

Whereas in the “feminine cultures” of the world, the values focus on modesty, relational tenderness, and the quality of life (rather than the quantity of possessions).  In terms of policing and prisons, the primary concern is for reformed behavior but also, redemption, and restitution of the soul of the offender. Some examples of feminine cultures are Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and Costa Rica.

Norway, for example, has one of the lowest of recidivism rates (the return to prison) in the world.  Scandinavian countries in general have about 20% recidivism as compared to 52% in the United States.  So, what’s the difference? Is it human nature, or is it the “way we do things around here”?

Culture is the only explanation for such vast differences between countries.  Culture, put simply, is, the “way we do things around here.”  In any given place and space in time, our cultures are demonstrated in the ways we, celebrate, talk, work, connect, treat time, and regard strangers and family.  It includes things like our languages, dress codes, and even how we treat the poor and the “criminal.” 

Our beliefs about the value of the humans who are accused or caught up in illegal behavior say a lot about who we are as collectives, nations, people groups, communities, ethnicities, organizations, and even gender groups.

Aggressive cultures, also called “masculine” cultures by cultural and communication researchers tend to be highly militaristic and materialistic.  By contrast, “feminine” cultures tend to be highly collaborative and favor negotiation over military solutions. The USA(merica) ranks in the top 5 masculine cultures studied since 1983 by an international researcher named Hofstede.

I was raised by a career military man turned preacher. Thus, the culture at home was tough and abusive. The wars of the Old Testament were held up as God’s requirement for justice, and how we should accomplish “justice.”  Militaristic reasoning held that we should always obey every “law” established by our governments, and never oppose any governmental official, policy, or representative.  Romans 13:1-5 were used to justify state-sanctioned abuses and seemingly divine authority.  These are the verses a militaristic community and predominantly white churches would use to justify silence in the face of abuse.

The scriptures about loving our neighbors, our enemies, and taking care of the poor, and imprisoned are often overlooked in militaristic cultures because, in truth, we are more formed by our cultures than by the whole Word of God. We come to understand and comply with our culture long before we truly encounter our Creator.

Our cultures are taught, ingrained, and punished into us well before we come to meet the loving Savior or encounter the gentleness that only deep healing and redemption can produce. So it is in the light of a maturing, loving relationship with our Creator and created ones that we must re-examine the things we were taught by our cultures. 

In the United States of America, where we often proclaim ourselves to be a “Christian” nation, we have embraced and in fact, been founded on some very un-Christ-like cultural norms.  The Jesus of the New Testament is often erased or “toughened up” to meet our cultural preferences rather than us being softened up to meet Kingdom cultural expectations.

We can and should re-examine ourselves, what our cultures taught us, what our parents modeled, and what our pastors, teachers, police, judges, and presidents have taught us.  There is much to be rejected, repented, and reformed into the likeness of Christ rather than the likeness of Roman rulers and angry Greek gods after which many of our institutions are modeled.  Everything is subject to re-examination, line upon line, and precept upon precept. 

Most of all, what an individual or a culture truly believes is demonstrated most accurately in the behaviors and practices, not by the beliefs espoused. If we truly believe that God created humans, then we owe God the dignity to love even the enemies of the state into an understanding of the kindness of God based on how we create law and order, and how we help the fallen to rise.

*To gain more insights on cultural beliefs and how they affect our behaviors, beliefs, and policies, you may find Loving Our Neighbors by Doc Courage! on Amazon.com