Why did I do that again?
Recidivism: is the rate at which ex-convicts become convicts all over again.
A lot of people think that all those in-prison rehabilitation programs are working
They figure that if a person ever had to spend time in prison, they would learn their lesson and make sure they never went back.
Well, unfortunately that is not the way it always happens.
Currently approximately two million of our citizens are incarcerated in our nation’s jails and prisons. That’s a 100% increase in the past twenty years. The
Prisoners are released with:
· Little or no money
· No employment
· No housing
· Usually with a history of life controlling addictions
They have little to no chance of making it in society, because they are being released back into a society that is suspicious and hostile towards him or her. They do not look at each person through the eyes of Christ.
Many people re-offend over and over.
· Time spent - Some adults in this country have spent far more time behind bars than on the outside.
· Costs spent - are incalculable. Prison costs are staggering. We can’t build prisons fast enough,
· Some judges have to release violent offenders before they have served their full sentences.
Being released is like the yummy pork chop example. If you see a dog carrying an old, dry bone that he’s been chewing on for a week and try to take it away from him, what will happen? He’ll bite you, because that old bone is all he has. However, if you toss a nice, juicy pork chop on the sidewalk in front of him, he’ll fling the dry bone as far as he can and go for the pork chop.
As for a thief, stealing is his or her crime of choice. All they know is stealing.
If you just tell them, “Stop doing that,” it’s not going to work, because you’re not giving him or her something better to replace it. That’s why a lot of programs do not work.
So what can we as followers of Christ do?
I believe this is an area we can be the church. Faith-based volunteer programs like the Inside/out Prison Ministry I helped out with for many years, I feel works better than most programs. I only have about 4 years of personal experience data. But I did see a small relapse rate among our attendees.
The faith-based programs gave the prisoners something far better than the lifestyle they’re asked to give up. They were introduced to Christ, and taught how to seek Him. Their counselors are often former offenders (though I am not one) whose lives have been transformed by God’s grace and mercy. What a witness they are to others struggling with the same issue.
We had two studies, one was a workbook study, and the other is where we would discuss a scripture verse by verse.
We get wonderful discussions coming from a wide-variety of perspectives. We definitely learned a lot. Volunteers share the love of God with them, mentor and disciple them, teaching solid life principles.
How I believe our program helps inmates: Since the majority of the prison population suffers from low self-esteem as well as addictive bad behaviors, it is important that they are placed in an environment where they can know they are loved. Through group counseling, coupled with a teaching curriculum designed to discover the cause of a person’s inability to make right decisions, healing is achieved.
We also deal with a person’s spiritual being as it pertains to finding out they are a child of God. This spiritual component is what I believe makes our program more effective.
I saw changed lives inside and outside the prison. How wonderful it is to hear from guys that have been out for awhile say “Thanks for being there when no one else cared”.
Hearing a testimony from an ex-prisoner about how the bible study we had … is a wonderful reward.
I do not have statistics from research firms showing me if faith-based programs work or not. I do not need them, I lived them.
If we just show Christ to “one another” we can build the Kingdom for Him.
Do you re-offend on many sins in this world? Focus on Christ when making decisions and you will not end up back in prison.
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