August 2 2017 – Click here to listen
On March 31, 2016, the Florida Department of Corrections housed 97,521 inmates in its 151 correctional facilities and supervised over 136,385 active offenders on community supervision throughout the state. The Department employs over 21,500 employees, the majority of whom are Correctional Officers or Correctional Probation Officers.
The Florida Department of Corrections defines recidivism as a return to prison for any reason within 3 years of release. The most current recidivism rate available is 25% (for the 2012 release). The cost for housing inmates is staggering. Per Diem: It costs $53.49 a day or $19,577 per year to house one inmate in a Florida prison. With one out of four returning within just three years it amounts to a billion dollar plus drain on taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars. Of course, this does not consider the costs associated with victims of their crime.
So, with these statistics one would think that the powers that be in “Bureaucracy Central” – Tallahassee Florida, would have an interest in reducing recidivism, lowering violence at the facilities, and seeing more inmates enter programs that will help them turn their lives around.
One proven way this can be accomplished is for the inmates to come to know Christ as their personal Savior. As mandated by law, all inmates are guaranteed access to religious services, but few take advantage of it due to peer pressure and the prison culture. Being a tough guy is important in prison, because it is dangerous in there. Anything that might make one look weak in their eyes such as following Christ does not help build on that tough guy image.
To reach these hard-core inmates who would never step foot in a church or attend a chapel service, various evangelical ministries go to the inmates right out on the yard and put on evangelical events. The inmates are attracted to the events by bands, vocalists, weightlifting exhibitions, high wire acts, custom motorcycles, world renowned athletes, and other attractions that will draw them over to the stage. After a crowd assembles a speaker gets up on the stage and tells them how God changed their lives. I am one of these speakers who went from being a violent “tough guy” criminal in prison, addicted to meth, and an alcoholic to a completely changed life of success, all because of Jesus.
It works! This approach has proven to be very successful and hundreds of inmates make decisions to follow Christ at each of these events. Inmate Encounter is one of many prison ministry groups that is solely dedicated to ministering to Florida inmates. Thanks to its efforts tens of thousands of lives have been totally transformed and many former inmates have gone on to become model citizens. In fact, many former inmates themselves are now volunteers of Inmate Encounter.
The system was working quite well and the Inmate Encounter prison ministry was expanding and reaching more and more inmates annually. But that recently came to a screeching halt. Now all prison ministry events are required to be approved by the bureaucrats in Tallahassee whose leadership seem determined to prevent this form of evangelistic effort to minister to those in society who need it the most. They have effectively stopped the program.
They do this even though during the 37-year history of conducting multiple events each year there has never been a single incident at an Inmate encounter event. In fact, after an event, violence and incident reports are greatly reduced, and more inmates enter programs designed to help them become productive citizens.
I believe this is nothing more than religious persecution by some individuals who seem to have a total disdain for faith based groups. I have personally appealed to the governor’s office to no avail. I don’t know if litigation is on the horizon or not. I do know that there are vast numbers of lost souls who would come to know Christ and be transformed by his loving grace if the state would just allow us to come into the prisons. The ministry pays its own way through donations and spends $100,000 and more to do it. Most inmates never have set foot in a church due to a childhood of abuse and neglect and this is a chance for them.
Christians live in difficult times and religious persecution in many quarters of society is on the rise. I would ask that you consider praying that the governor and others will change their new policy and allow these prisoners to be exposed to the word of God. They will never get it in a chapel program, because they won’t go to one. God answers prayer and I’m hoping He will do something to allow these men and women to hear the Gospel preached.
Are you among those who say, “Let them rot in hell, they are getting what they deserve.” Maybe you should check out what Jesus said about prisoners. He said when you go see someone in prison you are doing it to Him as well . . .
Matt. 25:36
I was in prison and you came to visit me.