Prison Ministry

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Recommended: How does rehabilitation in prisons affect recidivism

Every year in the United States hundreds of inmates are released into society with no hope of making it. Most of them come to place in life were they believe that no one cares for them. Many will soon find themselves with nowhere to go and will nothing to eat. They will struggle to find work in an economy where even none felons struggle to find employment. Some of them will resort to living on the streets and some will go back to committing crimes, because it is better inside of the prison than it is in the free world. But some of these people will find help in religious organizations that will help provide them with meals, clothes, and try to help them find jobs. Throughout the country religious groups have come together to provide these men and women a way out of this kind life and help them get onto their feet. Ministers work closely with offenders to help them with social behaviors, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse. With dwindling resources, many states have turned to religious groups to help resolve the high recidivism rate. And these churches that have a desire to reach this group have a major effect on these lives that they interact with. Many churches who have been involved in this type of programs have seen an amazing transformation in these individuals. This essay will explore the role and effects of prison ministry on the recidivism rates of inmate and how the positive effects out weight the negative implications that have arrived.
Prison Ministry
Prison ministry has always been a popular tool for lowering recidivism with the United States. Prison ministry became popular when Prison Fellowship made prison ministry their only mission. “Created in 1976 by Charles Colson after his release from prison for Watergat...

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...ording to Cei (2010):
For example, a 2002 meta-analysis by the University of Pennsylvania reviewed 46 studies of religious programs and concluded that “research on religious practices…indicated that higher levels of religious involvement are associated with…lower rates of delinquency among youth and reduced criminal activity among adults (p. 1).
With large prison populations and very little money to spend on rehabilitation, groups like Prison Fellowship will continue to be crucial in the rehabilitation of inmates. Prison ministry is going to continue to grow with in the prison system. With some many being released back into society, many prison officials are worried that the lack of prison rehabilitation programs will cause the recidivism rate to go up. But the strategic use of religion will continue to increase with budget short roles and lack of programing.

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