HERE IS WHY WE DO IT
EVIDENCE OF LIVES CHANGED
Two of the common factors that arise when researchers survey felons who do not return to prison are educational attainment and religious adherence. While the research is complex, in-prison religion and moral development activities, alongside vocational and academic achievement, show the most positive impact.
While the effects of education on recidivism rates are easy to gauge, religious adherence is more subjective. Moral fortitude is not always the end result of time inmates spend in a prison chapel. The stark conditions of the penitentiary drive many to seek refuge among the church-goers and volunteers. Others simply seek to gain whatever favor they can from staff. Then there is the wide range of what passes for "religion" in the eyes of researchers and bureaucrats.
Those who are honestly seeking to improve themselves often go beyond the chapel and prison school. Convicts who reach out for educational and spiritual guidance beyond the penitentiary walls are the most likely to be serious. There is no one to impress in the mail room and no free coffee or donuts coming UPS.
We are not attempting to change the system or offer a shiny certificate for the parole board to see. Our interest is in educating those prisoners who are genuinely seeking self-improvement on a one-on-one basis. Our program is not limited by government mismanagement or the harsh conditions of prison. We offer personal materials for self-motivated individuals who sincerely want to change, and nothing more. The onus is on the prisoner to request the materials and use what he or she is given.
This organization would not exist if not for the 17% of convicted felons who are never arrested again. We want to see that number grow.
