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what does the bible say about prison and people in prison?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Matthew 25:34-40

“Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

This passage is part of Jesus' teaching to his disciples, near the end of his public ministry, found in the Gospel of Matthew. It's often called the 'Parable of the Sheep and the Goats,' describing a future judgment based on how people have treated 'the least of these.'

How might actively acknowledging the humanity and dignity of those marginalized or imprisoned change how we interact with social systems?

Then — the setting

This passage reflects a world where imprisonment was often a holding place before trial or punishment, rather than a long-term correctional facility as we know it today. It was also a place for political dissenters or those unable to pay debts. There was little social support for prisoners, making visits from family or community crucial for survival. Jesus' teaching here, delivered to a Jewish audience in 1st-century Roman-occupied Judea, challenges the prevailing social hierarchies by identifying divine presence with the most vulnerable, including those in confinement.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament frequently emphasizes care for the vulnerable, such as the stranger, the orphan, and the widow (e.g., Deuteronomy 24:17-22), often linking it to God's own character and Israel's experience as strangers in Egypt. While direct references to visiting 'prisoners' are less frequent, the spirit of justice, compassion, and hospitality for those on the margins is a consistent theme. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25 broadens and intensifies this Old Testament ethic by explicitly including those 'in prison' among 'the least of these,' and by declaring that acts of service to them are equivalent to serving God directly. This reframes social responsibility as a direct encounter with the divine, deepening the Old Testament's call to compassionate justice.

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Read alongside it

Isaiah 61:1
Prophetically speaks of bringing good news to the oppressed and freedom to prisoners.
Hebrews 13:3
Exhorts believers to remember those in prison as if they were suffering with them.
Acts 16:25-34
Shows Paul and Silas in prison, praising God, and the jailer's subsequent conversion, highlighting divine intervention and human transformation within prison walls.

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