Michael Swiger Executive Director True Freedom, Inc. The Biblical Blueprint for Re-Entry

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1 I. Introduction Video II. Introduction a. Over two million U.S. residents are presently incarcerated in the United States b. Approximately, 700,000 inmates were released from prison within the last 12 months c. Many will re-offend within three years or their release i. The same skills inmates develop to survive inside prison make them antisocial when they are released. ii. Correctional institutions are graduate schools for crime. iii. A recent study of the Inner Change Freedom Initiative distinguished at least four factors in the lives of inmates who failed to succeed upon release. 1. First, the failure to build and sustain consistent contact with churches was a common feature. The social network and positive role models that many had indicated as being critical to their post-release success remain largely untapped resources. 2. Second, the diminishing role (or outright absence) of mentors or accountability of any kind. 3. Third, the tendency of recidivists to begin to isolate themselves from those most likely to provide them with assistance. 4. Fourth, the issue of personal responsibility was minimized by a number of the recidivists. i iv. In order to address this epidemic and chronic problem, a rational, realistic, and Biblical Blueprint for Re-Entry is Needed v. Praise God He has given us one 1

2 III. The Gospel Changes Everything a. Over the past dozen years there has been a steady stream of important delinquency studies that show juveniles who demonstrate a religious commitment are far less likely to display delinquent behavior and or to be involved in minor and serious forms of criminal behavior ii. b. However, of the four elements necessary for successful re-entry, this is the only one that is impossible to quantify, as the very nature of salvation is personal and internal. c. Researchers are force to rely upon subjective criteria at best in determining those who have made a religious commitment. i. In order for a researcher to do any meaningful study of the correlation between genuine conversion and recidivism, he or she would have to do a long-term anthropological study, living among the men who made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ, in order to observe their lives for a number of years to separate those whose behavior lined up with their verbal commitment. ii. Incidentally, the individuals best positioned to make this evaluation is the other inmates in the cell block iii. Since no sociologist to date has been willing to make such a sacrifice, another methodology of examining the available date is necessary. The Bible provides that Blueprint d. In 1 Peter 2:2-3 it says, Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. e. One of the most observable qualities found in the lives of those who make a true conversion to Christianity is a deep desire to faithfully study the Bible. 2

3 i. While the heart of a man cannot be discerned, his regular attendance at a weekly Bible Study can be monitor and quantified. f. This is precisely what Baylor University Professor Dr. Byron Johnson s has done in his paper Religious Programs and Recidivism among former inmates in Prison Fellowship Programs: A Long-term Follow-up Study takes on new significance iii. g. In 2004 Johnson did a comprehensive study of the impact various Religious Programming has on recidivism, based on a smaller scale study in 1997: In the original New York Prison Fellowship study (Johnson et al., 1997) PF participants were placed in four categories: i. High, medium, low and no attendance in Bible Studies h. Here are he results of his 2004 study i. Of the 282 former inmates studied, 72.6% were rearrested within three years of release. ii. However, of those inmates who were in the high participation group of Bible Studies, only 9% we rearrested. iv iii. And he found an interesting correlation. When he further divided the high participation group, he found that of the 23 inmates who were highest category of participants in Bible study, only 4% re-offended, a staggering revelation. i. He concluded that attending five or more bible studies significantly reduced the hazard of re-arrest at the 2- and 3-year year endpoints v. i. As if simply attending a few Bible Studies has the power in and of itself to reduce recidivism. 3

4 IV. j. Having attended Prison Fellowship Bible Studies weekly for over fifteen years and observing the caliber of the lives of those who attend more than 10 times per year, what I believe Johnson actually measured was not the impact that Bible studies had on reducing recidivism, but rather the impact genuine Christian Conversion i. Demonstrated a sincere desire to study God s Word -- had on reducing recidivism. k. GARY KOLY TESTIMONY l. MIKE SWIGER TESTIMONY Pre-release Discipleship a. Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. b. Once a genuine conversion takes place, pre-release discipleship must be introduced into the life of the inmate. c. Most of the men in the criminal justice system are completely unchurched and un-parented. d. They have lived a worldview that is radically different from the norm of society where generational poverty and the lack of personal responsibility permeate all they think and do. e. In order to break these self-defeating mindsets, a Biblical foundation needs to be laid in order to instill a moral and ethical belief system. f. As already discussed above, regular and systematic study of the Bible is essential in regenerating the mind. i. Academic study is Informational ii. Discipleship is Transformational 4

5 g. However, there are collateral benefits to volunteer Bible Study; the volunteer becomes a surrogate parental figure in the lives of the attendees. h. Mature behavior by believers, with faithfulness and genuine love, acts as a first mentor in the lives of the new believer. i. However, even in small group settings, there is not enough one-onone time to establish personalized discipleship. j. A personal mentor is necessary, but it is also essential for the inmate to be matched with someone with whom they can identify vi. k. I personally attribute a great deal of my success to my first Prison Fellowship Bible Study instructor who not only taught me how to study the Scriptures, but mentored me individually during my incarceration and still serves as my advisor and accountability partner. l. This one-on-one discipleship was critical to my spiritual growth. Volunteers provide a positive role model. They can assist offenders in resolving problems in a law-abiding, productive way; developing a reentry plan prior to their release and providing consistent support for carrying out the plan in the community. V. Pre-release Education/Training a. Aside from the obvious spiritual and social benefits that a conversion experience brings to the life an inmate, there is a body of research that consistently finds that religious commitment is a source for promoting educational attainment vii. b. This was true in my life. Even though I attended Case Western Reserve University prior to my arrest, I did not take education seriously, carrying a 2.0 GPA. It was not until my conversion that I realized I was a steward over all the gifts God had given me. 5

6 VI. c. I took His command to do all things to the glory of God as applying also to academics, earning two Associates Degrees with a 4.0 GPA, a Bachelors Degree with a 3.75 GPA, then maintaining a 3.9 GPA during graduate school thus far at Reformed Theological Seminary. d. However, my academic performance did little to help me land my first job upon release; it was my vocational training in computer technology that opened the door for employment. e. The vast majority of inmates have no marketable skills upon entry into the criminal justice system, many having never held a legitimate job. Unless they gain a certifiable and transferable vocational trade, they will simply return to their former way of life. f. Yet statistics show that once inmates receive quality vocational training, their chances of staying out of prison dramatically increase even without the spiritual component. g. Studies from around the world support this contention; h. Inmates involved in a Brazilian vocational-based program had a 36 percent recidivism rate as opposed to the national average of 70 percent. viii i. Vocational training is an essential piece of a holistic approach to rehabilitation. Post-release Mentorship a. Once an offender is released from prison the real work of prison ministry begins. It is easy to drive out to a correctional institution and preach to nameless faces; it is another thing indeed to provide the needed assistance to the man or woman who shows up at your church without a place to live or viable means of support. b. Discuss our Thursday Night Mentorship Program 6

7 c. Post-release mentorship is the most practical of the necessary elements in the rehabilitation process, because when an individual is separated from the real world for any length of time, the world they once knew changes dramatically. Because of this the first few months are the most stressful and critical in the life of the newly released offender. d. he first 60 to 90 days is the real tipping point as to whether they re going to make it or not. e. When I was finally released after serving nearly half my life, it felt like I was walking into a foreign country. Among so many examples, the internet and cell phones had been invented during those years. I was blessed to have family, friends, and mentors to help me with the transition. Unfortunately, many ex-offenders do not have such a support system, and research indicates that those who lack this vital element have already taken their first step toward re-offending. f. This contrast makes it very difficult for parolees to adjust to life outside of prison. Without frequent contact and supervision by the mentor, parolees have too much idle time. Simply stated, frequent contact between mentor and offender is important to post-release success, and infrequent contact is the first step on a path to postrelease failure. ix g. Even as I readjusted to life outside of prison, my mentor continued to exercise a profound influence in my life, helping me make decisions ranging from initial employment to ultimately helping me sort through the timing and calling on my life into the full-time ministry. The research in this area confirms what I experienced. h. Two published outcome studies could be located (Martin, 1995; Leenhouts, 2000). Both reported lower recidivism rates for 7

8 VII. participants in the mentoring program compared to a control group without mentors. (p. 219) x Conclusion a. It is politically incorrect to say that Jesus is the answer, but Jesus Christ is the answer. b. The statistical and anecdotal evidence is overwhelming, but legislators are resistant to the obvious. In fact, in between sessions of a lecture I attended given by Dr. Byron Johnson I asked him the simple question, Are there any studies correlating the conversion to Islam and the study of the Koran to recidivism? He paused and smiled. No, he said, looking around at the room filled with politicians, And there won t be. Nobody wants to touch that one. c. But it is impossible to legislate a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. However, those of us involved in prison ministry can identify those inmates who show sincere fruits of regeneration and invest ourselves in them, encouraging them to attend weekly Bible Studies, mentoring them before and after their release, and persuading them to avail themselves of vocational training. As sited above, the research proves that those inmates who acquire a single one of these key elements radically reduce their chances of re-offending. If all four of these elements are systematically incorporated into the prison system, the recidivism rate among Christian inmates could be practically eliminated. d. These four key elements are not merely theoretical academics. I have observed them in the lives of the men I lived with over the course of two decades who successfully reintegrated back into society, and I ve lived them myself. What God has done for me, He will do for others. He is not a respecter of person. 8

9 i Johnson, B.R. & Larson, D.B. (2003). The InnerChange Freedom Initiative: A preliminary evaluation of a faith-based prison program. Center for Research on Religious and Urban Civil Society, pp ii Johnson, B.R., Larson, D.B., Li, S.D., &Lang, S.J. (2000). Escaping from the crime of inner cities: Church attendance and religious salience among disadvantaged youth, Justice Quarterly, 17, Vans, T.D., Cullen, F., Dunaway, R.G., &Burton, V. (1995). Religion and crime reexamined: The impact of religion, secular controls, and social ecology on adult criminality, Criminology, 33, iii Johnson, B.R. (2004). Religious programs and recidivism among former inmates in prison fellowship programs: a long-term follow-up study. Justice Quarterly, 21, iv Matthews, B.A. (2003). The Viability of Mentoring as a Correctional Strategy: A Look at What Works. In Vivian L. Gadsden (Ed.) Heading Home: Offender Reintegration into the Family. Landham, MD: American Correctional Association. vregnerus, M.D. (2001) Making the grade: The influence of religion upon the academic performance of youth in disadvantaged communities, CRRUCS Report. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. iv P.343 v P350 vi Johnson, B.R. & Larson, D.B. (2003). The InnerChange Freedom Initiative: A preliminary evaluation of a faith-based prison program. Center for Research on Religious and Urban Civil Society, pp viii Romeo, p.82 x Matthews, B.A. (2003). The Viability of Mentoring as a Correctional Strategy: A Look at What Works. In Vivian L. Gadsden (Ed.) Heading Home: Offender Reintegration into the Family. Landham, MD: American Correctional Association. 9