NCJ Number
191545
Date Published
2000
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This videotape presents statements by five ex-offenders who attribute their rehabilitation to a Christian religious program at a California prison called Maranatha.
Abstract
The introduction to the videotape asks whether religion can change inmates’ lives and responds that both inmates and wardens know that it does. The first offender who speaks reports that he was a repeat offender who had spent 10 years in prisons in several States. He reports that Maranatha helped him develop life skills and improve interpersonal relationships and that 7 months after release he is happy and has a family. His fiancée comments that he has become a new person. The second offender reports that he was a repeat offender who had been in maximum security and that the Maranatha program helped him control anger and deal with temptation. The other offenders included a gang member who had been in prison 19 times in 20 years, a drug offender who had been in prison 5 years, and a multiple offender who had been out of prison for 1 year and 2 months. The offenders comment that Christianity is central to the program, that the staff interact with them with respect, that they received positive insights that have helped them on release, and that they now expect never to return to prison. The videotape concludes with information on how to obtain Bibles, lessons, and religious books from United Prison Ministries International and how to make a financial donation to the organization. Contact information from which to obtain further information