NCJ Number
217298
Journal
Journal of Community Corrections Volume: 14 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2005 Pages: 7-19
Date Published
2005
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the history of faith-based initiatives for offenders and describes the two largest faith-based organizations that provide Christian counseling, education, and training designed to help inmates and ex-offenders change their deviant attitudes and behaviors.
Abstract
This article concludes that faith-based programs for offenders work because they instill positive values and alter deviant behavior through proven techniques. Early Christians imprisoned for their faith were visited frequently by church brethren, who gave them spiritual support. The earliest known organized faith-based program was begun in 1488 by the Roman Catholic Order of Misericordia. It focused on the consoling of inmates who were to be executed. Over the centuries, Christians have continued to minister to prisoners. A notable example in America has been the work of the Quakers, who have continued to be involved in prison reform for the benefit of inmates. During the 1960s, prison religious rights were broadened as a result of the Black Muslim religious movement. Inmate participation in faith-based programs expanded significantly in prisons between 1977 and 1987 as the number of volunteers increased from 15,000 to 60,000, and the number of prison ministries rose from 214 to 580. A leader in this expansion has been the Prison Fellowship Ministries, one of the two largest faith-based programs in the world that is providing Christian counseling, education, and broad assistance to inmates. This article describes the major programs that have been launched by this organization. Teen Challenge International is the other large faith-based organization that provides Christian counseling, education, and training for offenders. It focuses on treatment for individuals addicted to alcohol and drugs. It operates 130 treatment centers in 43 U.S. States and Puerto Rico, as well as 175 centers in 62 other countries. 77 references