What is true prison reform?
My observation as a prison minister….
Where does prison reform begin?
In the home, the classroom, and the schoolyard.
First: Everyone talks about prison reform when we should be talking about prisoner reform, and society reform.
In other words get rid of the stinkin thinkin
We need to quit thinking in terms of revenge and punishment, and replace those ideas with rehabilitation.
Prison reform starts with prison facility and Nutrition reform, not population reduction…
These first two changes, means showing respect to people who for the most part have not been respected, or had self-respect…
I think some of the Scandinavian nations give a good example of modern prison design.
Drug abuse must first be brought to a stop… currently there are more drugs available in the prisons than on the outside… an alcoholic will not be cured by giving him a drink… they need serious time away from their addiction
A prisoner needs to be trained in a skilled labor, or a profession.
A spiritual/ faith foundation must be instilled to change a criminal mind to the mind of a honest hardworking citizen who contributes to society rather than takes from society.
A gradual removal from the prison system… prison with training and then to a half-way house for up to a year or two with no stress or pressure on the prisoner.
a gradual re-entry into society with supervision that diminishes over time as the prisoner adjusts to an acceptable lifestyle that will contribute to society.
We have several goals with the Park Church of Christ Prison Ministry.
Lead the lost back to the narrow path…
Be involved with the family in order to keep the family unit together.
We are working towards this goal through the Angel Tree project, the Family Engagement Project, and the coming Pen Pal ministry… along with other ideas that will come at a later time.
I mentioned at the beginning of the article that prison reform begins at home, the classroom, and the schoolyard… what I didn’t mention is it is my belief this needs to be the same for a generation or two.
The public school system in general is no longer teaching children the basic tools for functioning successfully in society, but spending more time in political indoctrination… and that should not be the purpose, nor even permitted in the classroom.
I also hope to see Christian based private schools to start appearing, at either affordable costs, or free for students.
Hillsdale is making a serious effort in accomplishing this.
https://k12.hillsdale.edu/Schools/Affiliate-Classical-Schools/
And in Tulsa!!!
As I walk down the halls of the Park COC (getting my steps in) I pray all those classrooms will someday be filled with students receiving tradition education coupled with Christian Education, which will include what Scripture says, How to live by it, and How to defend it.
One of the problems we have is people not knowing how to defend the faith in a logical manner that makes sense to the person who asks them why they believe.
This is especially important for children, for if the learn these facts early, they won’t forget them later.
The most common understanding of recidivism is based on state data from the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics , stating that two-thirds (68 percent) of prisoners released were arrested for a new crime within three years of release from prison, and three-quarters (77 percent) were arrested within five years.
Oklahoma The three-year recidivism rate in Oklahoma is 20.1%, one of the lowest in the country. Despite this, Oklahoma has the second-highest incarceration rate in the country, behind Louisiana.
Results of statistical analyses revealed that the faith-based prison had the lower recidivism rate, 16 percent compared to 36 percent for the vocational training prison. This was the case even though the faith-based prison housed more prisoners convicted of severe offenses.
