35 Bible Verses About Supporting Prison Reform

The statistics are staggering: millions behind bars, recidivism rates that suggest our system is failing, and families torn apart by cycles of crime and punishment. When you hear about overcrowded cells, inadequate rehabilitation programs, and the revolving door of incarceration, you might wonder what God thinks about our approach to justice and mercy. Does the Bible support punishment, restoration, or something more complex?

Scripture reveals a God who cares deeply about justice while never abandoning mercy. The Bible speaks to prisoners, those who work in justice systems, and citizens grappling with how society should respond to crime. From Joseph’s imprisonment in Egypt to Paul’s letters written from Roman cells, Scripture is filled with stories of incarcerated people who maintained dignity and hope despite systemic failures.

These verses don’t provide simple answers to complex policy questions, but they offer divine principles for approaching criminal justice with both accountability and compassion. Whether you’re advocating for reform, working in corrections, or simply trying to understand how faith intersects with justice, God’s heart beats for both victims and offenders, calling us toward systems that truly serve restoration and community healing.

Bible Verses About Supporting Prison Reform

1. Isaiah 61:1 – To Proclaim Freedom for the Prisoners

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.

New International Version (NIV)

2. Hebrews 13:3 – Remember Those in Prison

Remember those in prison, as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated, as if you yourselves were suffering.

English Standard Version (ESV)

3. Matthew 25:36 – I Was in Prison and You Came to Visit Me

I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.

New Living Translation (NLT)

4. Luke 4:18 – To Proclaim Release to the Captives

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

New King James Version (NKJV)

5. Psalm 146:7 – The Lord Sets Prisoners Free

He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

6. Isaiah 42:7 – To Open Eyes That Are Blind

to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

7. Psalm 68:6 – God Sets the Lonely in Families

God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

King James Version (KJV)

8. Acts 16:25-26 – Praying and Singing Hymns to God

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

9. Ezekiel 34:16 – I Will Search for the Lost

I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones and oversee the strong ones so they’re not exploited.

The Message (MSG)

10. Matthew 5:7 – Blessed Are the Merciful

Blessed (happy, to be envied) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!

Amplified Bible (AMP)

11. Micah 6:8 – To Act Justly and Love Mercy

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

New English Translation (NET)

12. Zechariah 9:12 – Return to Your Fortress, You Prisoners of Hope

Return to the stronghold, you prisoners who have hope; even today I am declaring that I will restore double to you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

13. Isaiah 58:6 – To Loose the Chains of Injustice

The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of prisoners, and don’t mistreat others. Free those who are abused!

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

14. Romans 13:4 – God’s Servant to Do You Good

The person in authority is God’s servant to help you. But if you do wrong, then be afraid. That ruler has power to punish; he is God’s servant to punish those who do wrong.

Good News Translation (GNT)

15. Jeremiah 22:3 – Do What Is Just and Right

This is what the Lord says: Do what is fair and right. Save the one who has been robbed from the power of his attacker. Don’t mistreat or hurt the foreign resident, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t kill innocent people in this place.

New Century Version (NCV)

16. Psalm 9:9 – The Lord Is a Refuge for the Oppressed

The Lord will also be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

International Standard Version (ISV)

17. Proverbs 31:8-9 – Speak Up for Those Who Cannot Speak

Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

Tree of Life Version (TLV)

18. Isaiah 1:17 – Learn to Do Right

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

19. Genesis 39:20-21 – The Lord Was with Joseph

Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were bound, and he was there in custody. But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

World English Bible (WEB)

20. Ephesians 4:28 – Doing Something Useful

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.

American Standard Version (ASV)

21. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – The Old Has Gone, the New Is Here

Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

Revised Standard Version (RSV)

22. Romans 6:23 – The Wages of Sin Is Death

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

New American Bible (NAB)

23. 1 John 1:9 – If We Confess Our Sins

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)

24. Matthew 6:14-15 – If You Forgive Others

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

English Revised Version (ERV)

25. Luke 23:43 – Today You Will Be with Me in Paradise

And Jesus said to him, ‘Verily I say to thee, To-day with me thou shalt be in the paradise.’

Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

26. 1 Timothy 1:15 – Christ Jesus Came to Save Sinners

Faithful is the word and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the first.

Darby Translation (DARBY)

27. Galatians 6:1 – Restore Gently

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Weymouth New Testament (WNT)

28. Job 36:8-9 – If They Are Bound in Chains

And if thei ben in chaynes, and ben holdun with the cordis of pouert, he schal shewe to hem her werkis, and her grete trespassis.

Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

29. Psalm 107:10-14 – He Brought Them Out of Darkness

Such as sate in darknesse and in the shadowe of death, being bounde in miserie and yron, because they rebelled against the wordes of the Lord, and despised the counsell of the most High.

Geneva Bible (GNV)

30. Daniel 3:25 – A Fourth Man in the Fire

He answered and sayde: Lo, I se foure men loose, walking in the myddes of the fyre, and they haue no hurt, and the fourme of the fourth is lyke the sonne of God.

Bishop’s Bible

31. Acts 12:7 – Suddenly an Angel Appeared

And beholde the angell of the lorde came apon him and a lyght shyned in the lodge. And smote Peter on the syde and steryd him vp sayinge: aryse vp quyckly. And his cheynes fell of from his hondes.

Tyndale Bible

32. Philippians 1:13 – My Chains in Christ Have Become Well Known

As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

The Living Bible (TLB)

33. 2 Timothy 2:9 – The Word of God Is Not Chained

I’m being persecuted and have even been chained like a criminal. But the Word of God cannot be chained or imprisoned!

The Passion Translation (TPT)

34. Romans 8:1 – No Condemnation

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

The Voice Bible (VOICE)

35. Joel 2:25 – I Will Repay You for the Years

I will pay you back for the years that the swarming locusts ate your crops. It was I who sent this army against you.

New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)

Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Supporting Prison Reform

Scripture presents a nuanced view of justice that balances accountability with restoration. While the Bible clearly supports consequences for wrongdoing, it consistently emphasizes God’s heart for the marginalized, including prisoners. The biblical narrative is filled with stories of transformation, second chances, and systems that serve healing rather than simply punishment.

What strikes me most is how often biblical heroes experienced imprisonment and how God used those experiences for good. Joseph’s time in prison prepared him to save nations. Paul wrote some of his most influential letters from jail cells. These stories suggest that our current approach to incarceration could be more purposeful in fostering genuine rehabilitation and restoration.

The Bible calls us to remember prisoners as if we were imprisoned with them, suggesting that their conditions should concern us as much as our own would. This perspective challenges us to support systems that maintain human dignity, offer genuine opportunities for change, and recognize that redemption is always possible. Justice without mercy isn’t biblical justice; it’s simply vengeance dressed in legal robes.

Say This Prayer

Heavenly Father, I lift up the millions of people currently incarcerated in our nation’s prisons and jails. You see each person behind bars as someone created in Your image, deserving of dignity and the possibility of redemption. Help me to see prisoners through Your eyes rather than through the lens of their worst mistakes.

Give wisdom to lawmakers, judges, corrections officers, and everyone involved in our criminal justice system. Show them how to create policies and programs that truly serve justice while offering genuine opportunities for rehabilitation and restoration. Help us move beyond systems that simply warehouse people toward approaches that heal communities and transform lives.

I pray for victims of crime and their families, that they would experience Your comfort and peace. Help our justice system serve its needs for safety and healing. I also pray for the families of those who are incarcerated, especially children who suffer because of their parents’ choices. Surround them with support and hope.

Use me to be part of the solution, whether through advocacy, volunteering, or simply changing my own attitudes toward those who have made serious mistakes. Remind me that but for Your grace, any of us could find ourselves in desperate circumstances.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.