NCJ Number
241612
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 73 Issue: 6 Dated: January 2012 Pages: 60-62
Date Published
January 2012
Length
3 pages
Annotation
After describing the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI), a faith-based program for inmates in one Texas prison, this article reports on an independent evaluation that found IFI participants who completed the program reoffended at a lower rate over a 2-year period than a matched comparison group that did not participate in IFI and those who participated in but did not complete the IFI.
Abstract
IFI program graduates had significantly lower rates of arrest following prison release than IFI non-completers (17.3 percent compared to 50 percent) or the matched comparison group (17.3 percent compared to 35 percent). Similarly, those who completed the IFI program had significantly lower rates of reincarceration than IFI non-completers (8 percent compared to 36.3 percent) or the matched group (8 percent compared to 20.3 percent). This is initial evidence that IFI graduates were significantly less likely to be either arrested or incarcerated during the 2-year follow-up period compared to those who did not complete the program and those who had no contact with the IFI. Based on biblical teaching, life-skills education, and group accountability, IFI established a three-phase program that involved inmates in 16 to 24 months of in-prison Bible study and 6-12 months of aftercare while on parole. Phase one provides a spiritual and moral foundation from which the rest of the program follows. Phase two tests the inmate's value system in real-life settings in order to prepare him for a changed life after prison. Phase three is the reentry component of IFI. It is designed to help the inmate apply IFI's biblically based value system in the community in the context of productive and supportive relationships with family, local churches, and the workplace. 8 notes