The Impact of Prison Ministry The church and offender rehabilitation
“ As a Justice provider, I found myself observing a system that is broken”
Special Report
PRISON MINISTRY you ' ll be back, I promise”.( By the way, that inmate has never been rearrested, let alone locked up, and that was almost ten years ago). The following 5 categories are the primary area of service that we find in Prison Ministries:
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Church and Bible Study services for incarcerated persons
The Impact of Prison Ministry The church and offender rehabilitation
In recent years, I have been encouraged to respond to the call to serve through Prison Ministries. As a Justice provider, I found myself all too often observing a system that is broken and I could not morally justify my ability to enforce Justice knowing the current state of affairs. As I grew in ministry, I found many others who were both concerned and interested and seeking ways to be involved in prison ministries. There are five major points of interaction in this calling: the offender, the volunteer, the family of the offender, the correctional officer and the chaplains and ministers themselves. Oddly, with the current state of affairs the victims of the alleged crimes are often left out of the recovery process. Restorative Justice models seek to bridge this gap in the future, and many are already doing so in juvenile and family courts. Prison Ministry is quite the unique calling, and definitely not for everyone. It is a ministry of careful listening and compassionate healing. The church and community can provide channels for communication, motivated by a love for the hurting – those who many times are dysfunctional and many times rebellious in nature. We are not there to judge but rather be a conduit for God ' s love, to be a messenger of transformation to those who have been or feel forgotten, tossed away, and worthless. Formerly Incarcerated Persons( F. I. P. S.) need that love both before and after release. The
“ As a Justice provider, I found myself observing a system that is broken”
intention of the Justice system was originally to help restore the person to their fullest integrity, not be punitive and exploitative as the system has now become. I recall walking out with an inmate one time as they are being released, there was so much hate on the faces of the officers, and I distinctly recall one even saying to the inmate being released“ we ' ll see you soon, you all come back,
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Penpal and Visitor programs for incarcerated persons and their families or church communities
Family Ministries for the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated ' s families
Educational Programs & Life Skills workshops
Pre and Post release support – this is the major point of service due to the vulnerable nature of release and living back in the world after such a traumatic event
People many times wonder what types of skills are needed or required to be able to provide quality, impactful ministry. We like to say, come as yourself and let the Love of God flow through you. Many are afraid that working in prisons and with prisoners directly is dangerous, but it is quite the opposite. Very few ministers or volunteers ever encounter any sort of psuedo-dangerous situations. The inmates and the facility staff all anticipate and look forward to the community volunteers and minister ' s presence.
I tell newcomers that the most important quality for ministering to the incarcerated besides an open heart, is a deep dedication and sincerity towards the work to be done. Many times, especially in zones where inmates are exploited, there are very