PRISON MINISTRY
Preserving the Family
Bringing the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to those in prison
And to care for those left behind.
A BIBLICAL COMMAND
126 references to “prison”
229 references to “captivity”
“But the Scripture declares that the whole
world is a prisoner of sin” (Gal 3:22)
WELCOME
FAMILY ARRESTED
WHAT’S THE
PROBLEM?
 U.S. incarceration rate # 1 in the world.
 The prison population increases by more than
1,000 each week
 2,400,000 inmates and growing exponentially.
 112,498 women in state and federal prison
 4,600,000 are on parole/probations
 1 in 34 Americans have been in prison.
 700K released from prison in 2006. More than
one million projected by 2010.
 Another ten million will be released from local
jails. (“Outside the Walls”)
WHAT’S THE
PROBLEM
One in every 10 children have a parent
incarcerated, on probation or on parole.
(National Center for Children & Families, Wash. D.C.)
They are 10 times more likely to become
inmates themselves.
*Nell Bernstein, All Alone in the World: Children
of the Incarcerated (New York: The New Press,
2005)
HEBREWS 13:3
“Remember those in prison as if
you were their fellow prisoners.”
GALATIANS 6:2
"Carry each other's burdens, and
in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ."
Part 2
THOSE LEFT BEHIND
 Suffer shame, loneliness, and often
extreme financial hardship.
 Egged on by “friends”, most
marriages end in divorce
 Prisoners without supportive family
fail to make the transition to life
outside prison.
THOSE LEFT BEHIND
 Having few skills women are often forced
into the labor market.
 Distance between the family's dwelling
and the prison can be an obstacle for
visitations.
 The first visit to an institution is
particularly disturbing for visitors,
especially the children.
MANY VICTIMS
 All the responsibilities and raising the
children fall to the wife/family – left behind
in a prison of their own.
 Sometimes they lose their home, their car
and are burdened with impossible debt –
nothing left for legal aide, appropriate
clothing, or money to buy food.
 Families are often treated as coconspirators then shunned.
TORTURED
 Grocery shopping and attending
church services prove difficult.
 Opportunities for personal interests,
and rest are hard to find.
 Resentment creeps in with feelings
of betrayal. While he’s now
sheltered from responsibility, she’s
left with all the problems and few of
the solutions.
ROLE CHANGES
 The wife is expected to provide
money, books, radios, clothing,
snacks out of her rapidly depleting
family resources.
 Visitations are problematic. The
inmate thrives on them, while the
family goes through hoops to
attend them. (Travel, childcare,
distance, fuel, humiliation)
WHATS IN THEIR
FUTURE
QUESTIONS
CHILDREN ASK




Why are you there?
When are you coming home?
Where are you?
Are you okay?
QUESTIONS RARELY
ASKED BUT CENTRAL
Do you blame me?
Do you love me?
Family and Corrections Network website (Children of
Prisoners Library)
CHILDREN IN PAIN
 Confused, feeling the pain of their
parents, they commonly suffer
separation anxiety grasping at their
mother’s apron strings.
 Relations with other kids deteriorate;
rejection and harassment is not
uncommon.
Part 3
THE CHURCH
MATTHEW 25:36,40
“I was in prison and you visited
me. Truly I tell you, just as you
did it to one of the least of
these who are members of my
family, you did it to me.”
“COME LET US REASON
TOGETHER”(ISAIAH 2)
 “The church must reach beyond its
own walls, help the poor, and start
making a serious difference”.
(Pastor Bobbie Houston)
 If the church doesn't help these
families who will?
PRAY FOR THE
FAMILIES
 Mental discouragement is a
daily battle. Ask our Father to
protect our brothers and sisters.
"Are not all angels ministering
spirits sent to serve those who
will inherit salvation?“ (Heb
1:14)
MATTHEW 25:35-36
"I was hungry, and you gave me
something to eat. I was thirsty, and
you gave me something to drink. I
was a stranger, and you took me into
your home. I needed clothes, and
you gave me something to wear. I
was in prison, and ye came unto
me. and you took care of me.”
MARK 10:43, 45
 "...Whoever desires to become
great among you shall be your
servant... for even the Son of
Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life
a ransom for many."
WHAT TO BE DONE?
“Let your light shine before men
in such a way that they may see
your good works, and glorify
your Father who is in heaven.”
(Matt 5:16)
AGAPE LOVE
 “God proves his love for us in
that while we still were sinners,
Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
 “He causes his sun to rise on
the evil and the good, and sends
rain on the righteous and the
unrighteous”. (Matthew 5:45)
1 THES 5:14-19
“Take tender care of those who are
weak; and be patient with everyone.
See that no one pays back evil for
evil, but always try to do good to
each other and to everyone else.
Always keep on praying. For this is
God's will for you who belong to
Christ Jesus.”
Part 4
REACHING OUT
Being there with the accused.
Shepherding through the
process. Clarifying. Comforting.
Indictment
Arrest
Court
Sentencing
Mail
Resources
Bail
Jail
Attitudes
Prison
Deportment
Yielding passport
Fingerprinting
Representation
Phone calls
Bibles and books
COMING ASIDE THE FAMILY
 Prayer warrior
team
 Covenant
Small Groups
 Emergency
food
 Child care
 Secondhand
clothing
 Transportation
 Job training








Housing
Schools
Social services
Financial aid
Household help
Respite care
Fellowship
Marriage
counseling
 Rehab
PROFESSIONALS






Church
Pastor
Christian counselor
Accountant
Legal
Healthcare
Part 5
THE INMATE
A door for discipleship and shines
through
 Placed in the county jail (overcrowded,
and dirty) while awaiting court hearings.
 First offenders locked up with the
hardened criminal.
 Their spirit tortured; their self-worth
stripped.
 Tormented, the process for
reassessment begins.
TRUST IN THE LORD DESPITE
BEING AFRAID
 There is no more heartless sound
than the closing of the prison doors.
 The trauma has a deadening effect
on prisoners and their families.
 Panic and confusion set in.
PATHWAYS
 In-prison worship
services
 Small group bible
study.
 Counseling, mentoring
 Juvenile home ministry
 Ministry to the family
 Prison discipleship
 Friendly visitor
 Pen-Pal
 Angel Tree
 Stephen Ministry
 Kairos
 Koinonia
 Inmate education
 Post-prison ministry
 Literature availability
 Stephen ministry
•U
n
e
m
p
l
o
y
m
e
n
t
o
r
STEPHEN MINISTRY
One-to-one Christian fellowship to those
experiencing difficulties in their lives.


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
Loss of a loved one
Loss of income
Illness
Divorce or separation
Loneliness or discouragement
Spiritual crises
STEPHEN MINISTRY
CONT.





Incarceration
Aging
Birth, adoption, miscarriage,
Relocation
Surgery, accident or disaster
THE PRISONER’S
FAMILIES HELPLINE
0808 808 2003
A British hotline for anyone affected
by imprisonment . Coordinated by
Action for Prisoners' Families.
PEN PAL PROGRAM
Less than 20% of inmates receive mail regularly
 Inmates are very lonely. Friends and family
often disappear.
 Isolated, they feel left for dead.
 Receiving junk mail even brightens their
day.
 Receiving mail from caring brother and
sisters is resuscitating.
“But from there you will seek the LORD your God,
and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your
heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)
PEN PAL
Admonitions
 DON’T give any inmate your address or
phone number.
 DO use the mailing address of the church
or prison ministry.
 DO write on a regular schedule, possibly
every two or three weeks.
 DON’T stop writing without an explanation
 DON’T send money, stamps or other items
of value.
IMPRISONMENT
FOLLOWS YOU
ALWAYS
 There are more than ten million exoffenders in the United States.
 They are scrutinized closely by probation
officers sniffing for violations
 Securing meaningful jobs is very difficult
 Maintaining them is problematic
 Recidivism: 75% will be returned to prison
Part 6
AFTERCARE
 The search for smooth reentry
 The weakest link in restoration
 Adjustment to society more difficult
than prison
 Exclusion from the workforce
 Alienation (Children, friends,
community)
 Subordinate role at home
 Loss of self worth
 Who is there for them?
AFTERCARE
Employment, transitional housing and mentoring
the keys for successful re-entry.
 Employment: Job training and placement.
Transitional housing: Grants to
organizations providing housing or
vouchers to individuals to partially
subsidize transitional housing.

Mentoring: Post-release mentoring and to
reintegrating ex-offenders in coordination
with the corrections, parole, and probation
structure.
AFTERCARE




Social services and job retraining
Faithful employers
Mentorship on continuous basis
Community and faith based service
agencies, advocacy groups,
 Christian counseling
 Family support
 Vital role of the Church, small
groups, prayer
The Second Chance Act
of 2007
H.R. 1593 / S. 1060
 The Second Chance Act will
help ensure the transition
people make from prison or jail
to the community is safe and
successful
“UNCHAINED for CHRIST”
The "Aftercare" or (Transitional Prison
Ministry)
 We network with volunteers and
churches
 To help meet the physical needs of
prisoners and their family members.
 For re-entry into families,
 Procuring employment, housing,
fellowship
JIM ROMIG, SALINAS
POST-PRISON MINISTRIES
“His Hidden Treasures”
Through Biblical discipleship
Christian inmates to go from prison
to Transitional housing Gonzales
House)
The local church (Adopts an inmate)
Graduates to the workplace and
society.
RECIDIVISM
 They need prayer, Bible study,
counsel and Christian fellowship
to help overcome the resistance
and obstruction to reconstitute
their lives
PITFALLS at the church
 Failing to gain meaningful support
from the membership.
 Falling prey to political correctness.
 Failure to establish a “can do”
program.
 Failing to make scripture the basis of
outreach.
 Failing to be Christ centered
PITFALLS continued.
 Failing to make prayer central.
 Failing to show the face and
behavior of Jesus.
 Failing to be inter-denominational.
 Failure to meet the inmate/family at
their present need.
 Failing to be forgiving.
Part 6
BABY STEPS
Carmel Presbyterian Church
 Brainstorm with a selected group of
committed, compassionate, affected,
experienced members
 Tap national resources (Prison
Fellowship Ministry, Koinonia, Kairos,
Family and Corrections Network,
Nationwide Christian Prison Ministry,,,
Urban Institute, Centerforce, etc)
 Develop a consensus vision, mission,
goal, and process.
BABY STEPS –3 PRONGED
APPROACH
 A) Traditional prison model –
discipling inmates
 B) Ministering to the left behind
family
 C) Aftercare (Christian
transformation, and re-entry to
family, church, community, job
market)
7A
KAIROS CHRISTIAN
MINISTRY
 Trained Kairos teams meets with inmate
leaders weekly, sharing on a spiritual level,
and praying for one another, the other
residents and the staff.
 Later, for 3 days, 42 inmate residents
gather at seven tables with three Kairos
team members, two lay persons and one
clergy.
 The objective is to change the correctional
environment by changing the strong
negative leaders, who as new apostles of
Jesus Christ change all areas of human
activity in the prison.
THINK OUTSIDE THE CAGE
Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition
Christie Donner
 In prison – Offenders are hopeful but
scared for their future
 On reentry – Without a meaningful
job, they fall into hopelessness,
despair to depression
 Mentoring, counseling, fellowship,
and support are imperatives
 Team support: employers, agencies,
and the church can share the costs
7B
GUIDELINES FOR PRISON
FELLOWSHIP
 Be on time: For the inmates on
arrival: for administration on leaving.
 Always pray with the inmates.
 Always work through the chaplain.
 Dress modestly
 Follow the rules of the institution.
 Develop the trust and confidence of
the staff and administration as well
as the inmates.
GUIDELINES FOR PRISON
FELLOWSHIP continued
 Be yourself. Be honest. Be
consistent.
 Be an understanding friend
 Be a good listener.
 Be cautious. Beware of being
conned. Speak simply and humbly.
 Get permission to distribute Bibles &
Christian literature
GUIDELINES FOR PRISON
FELLOWHIP
•
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


Remember the names of inmates.
Encourage Bible study
Share Christ with the staff.
When in doubt, ask.
Share your personal testimony.
Ask about their relationship with
Christ, and their beliefs.
GUIDELINES FOR PRISON
FELLOWHIP

Be supportive of the chaplain and
respectful to the administration.

Maintain confidentiality

Use discretion and caution in being
a go-between for inmates and
family and friends.
GUIDELINES FOR PRISON
FELLOWSHIP
Don’ts
 Do not give out your personal address or
telephone number.
 Do not do errands for inmates.
 Do not make promises that you cannot or
will not keep.
 Do not send money or expensive gifts to
inmates.
 Do not bring anything without checking with
the authorities first.
 Do not criticize or embarrass anyone
 Do not ask about an inmate’s crime.
GUIDELINES FOR PRISON
FELLOWHIP
Don’ts
 Do not write dishonest letters of
recommendation.
 Do not say that you understand how a
prisoner feels.
 Do not act shocked or surprised by
anything an inmate says or does.
 Do not give unasked for advice.
 DO NOT GET INVOLVED IN LEGAL
MATTERS!
 Do not go in discouraged.
Part 7B
THE FAMILY LEFT BEHIND
(The Child)
 Going to school is painful. “Everyone
knows” dad is in jail. Some may decide to
do something to be punished for and a life
of crime is seeded
 God must not love him, or He would not
allow these bad things to happen to him.
• A child may assume he is being punished
receiving underwear for Christmas instead
of toys.
THE FAMILY LEFT
BEHIND
 Far-fetched? Half of all inmates come
from a family where one is in prison.
 50% of the families divorce during the
first year of incarceration. (Greater
welfare benefits are promised).
BUT
 The church can reach out. Follow the
whispers, the hushed conversations, the
media.
 As a church body, step out in behalf of
the grieving family.
THE FAMILY LEFT
BEHIND
 Youth group sponsorship. Provide
scholarships for trips and activities.
 Seek out foster grandparents for the child
care.
 Link with the Yellow Brick Road for free
vouchers for one and all of the family.
 Solicit businesses to provide gifts.
parents.
 Provide transportation and ride sharing to
church functions.
MINISTRY TO INMATES
FAMILIES
 Prayer partners,
 Stephen
Ministry,
 Angel Tree
 Brown Bags
 Holidays and
family
celebrations
 Christian
counseling




Bible study
Fellowship
Respite care
Employment
counseling
 Household
repair
 Healthcare
 Crown financial
Part 7C
AFTERCARE
3311 members (International Network of
Prison Ministries)
• Agape Life Ministries is setting up
aftercare programs to help with quality job
training and job placement.
• Crossroad Bible Institute has distance
child Bible study courses to break the
cycle of incarceration through the
transforming power of the Gospel
• New Life Deliverance Rescue
Mission (Marina, The Pastors Stone 8831254)
REDEMPTIVE JUSTICE
Justice tempered with Peace
FOCUS ON:



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

Restitution not retribution
Offender responsibility not guilt
Repentance and redirection
The debt to the victim not the state
The future not the past
Repair not life-time punishment
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive
him,so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins (Mark 11:25)
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
"Criminal Justice System" to "Restorative Justice System."
 Calls all parties—victims, offenders,
communities and the government—
to recognize the importance of
repairing the harm caused by crime.
 Crime: An offense against human
relationships and secondarily a
violation of a law
 Judges can incorporate even if
victim-offender mediation are not
available.
RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE
 Discuss the offense, the harms
that resulted and what needs to
be done to repair the harms.
Restorative Justice requires
follow-up and accountability
REDEMPTIVE JUSTICE
 Victim-offender mediation, family
group conferences and sentencing
circles. Use before or as part of the
sentence.
 Professionals to facilitate restorative
encounters
 Give defendants the opportunity to
repair the harms they have caused
to the extent possible.
RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE
 Enforce a judicious restitution
 Reintegration. Provide means
and opportunity to rejoin their
communities as contributing
members.
 Think Safety
 Assist Victims (Families,
community)
Part 8
PROPOSAL TO CHURCHES
 Ask the church leadership to adopt a
prison outreach ministry.
 Promote the ministry to the
membership
 In time, share the proposal to other
local churches and appropriate
organizations
 In time, adopt a community wide
inter-denominational ministry
 Develop a training program for
qualified volunteers.
PROPOSAL.
 Develop job descriptions.
 Identify and prioritize the range of
components.
 Focus initially, mainly on the families
left behind.
 Recruit volunteers
 Solicit financial support
MATTHEW 22:36-40
 “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind.' This is the first and
greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor
as yourself.' All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two
commandments.”
MINISTRY TO INMATES
FAMILIES
 Bring comfort through Christ to
the families.
 Be proactive! Arise and go
today. Attend every lead like it is
an emergency
Part 9
TRAINING BY NETWORK
 Family and Corrections Network
(FCN) offers a series of training-bytelephone conference calls.
 Presentations are interactive. CD
recordings can be ordered for those
who cannot make the call.
FAMILY & CORRECTIONS NETWORK
Supplies educational information
 Training and technical assistance on
children of prisoners,
 Parenting programs for prisoners,
 Hospitality programs,
 Returning to the community,
 Impact of the justice system
PRISON FELLOWSHIP
MINISTRY
 Prison Fellowship partners with local
churches ministering to prisoners,
ex-prisoners, and their families.
 God, unlike the world, has always
chosen to identify closest with those
who are isolated and broken.
WINGS MINISTRY
www.WingsMinistry.org
 The goal of the Wings Ministry is
to connect spouses, caregivers,
and children of inmates with the
nurturing and supporting
relationships of Christian people
in local churches.
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES Part 9
 Amachi - Mentoring children of prisoners
Angeltree Provides Christmas gifts for
children of prisoners
Bethel Bible Village Residential care
agency provides support and ministry to
children and youth of families shattered
by crime and troubled environments.
Bethesda Family Services Foundation
Offers innovative training on relational
healing within the family lives of inmates
Center for Children of Incarcerated
Parents [CCIP] Extensive resources,
research and model programs for
children of criminal offenders and their
families.
Centerforce Works with California
prisoners, their families and the
community at large, providing direct
support services, health programs,
awareness and advocacy.
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
 Child Welfare League of America - Children
With Incarcerated Parents Information and
resources.
Children of Incarcerated Parents (CHIP) Resources to help adults support young
children with an incarcerated parent
CLAIM Legal aid for women prisoners and
their families
CURE National effort to reduce crime by
reforming the criminal justice system.
Supports many offender-family issues. Has
many state chapters.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Foundation (FAMM) National organization
advocating policies that give judges
discretion in sentencing
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
 Family Justice
Federal CURE Working to reform the
federal prison system
Friends Outside National Organization
Get on the Bus Transportation for prison
visitors in California
Horizon Communities in Prisons Seeks to
prepare prisoners to live
 InFO Inc. Inmate Families Organization Inc.
Kairos Prison Ministry Brings Christ's love
and forgiveness to all incarcerated
individuals, their families and those who
work with them, and assists in the
transition of becoming a productive citizen
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES

Justice For All Non-profit support services
to California prisoners, families and
attorneys
Kingsway Outreach Ministers to
prisoners, former prisoners, and their
families.
Legal Services for Prisoners with
Children Training, technical assistance,
advocacy and litigation support to legal
service offices and to prisoners, their
families and advocates throughout
California
L.I.F.E (The Living Interactive Family
Education Program) offers the children of
incarcerated parents the chance to visit
with their parents in an enhanced
environment
LOOPS (Loved Ones Of PrisonerS), Inc.
Non-denominational, Christian
organization dedicated to the support and
restoration of prisoners and their families.
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
 MentorKids USA - Mentoring children of
prisoners
MOTHEREAD, Inc. Combines the
teaching of literacy skills with child
development and family empowerment
issues for prisoners and for free people.
National Incarcerated Parents and Families
Network works with Incarcerated mothers
and fathers, adults and juveniles, and their
families, and provides a support network
and education source for them.
National Practitioners Network for Fathers
and Families (NPNFF) Organization of
fatherhood program practitioners whose
mission is to increase supports to children
in fragile families
November Coalition Family & friends of
prisoners of the war on drugs
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
 OPEN, INC. Provides publications and
technical assistance to help offenders
prepare to live as law-abiding citizens.
Operation Open Arms, Inc. Provides
foster care placements for children with
incarcerated parents
Parents Information and resources
Prison Fellowship On Line Assists the
Church in its ministry to prisoners, exprisoners, victims, and their families.
Offices in all states and around the world.
Prisoners of Love Provides friends and
families of inmates with direction,
companionship and information on how
others overcame similar circumstances,
connection with others in similar
circumstances, resources and links.
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
 Restorative Justice Ministry Network
Links to ministries serving prisoners
and families throughout North
America
 S.K.I.P. Inc. (Save Kids of Incarcerated
Parents) Network of services for children (1
month to 18 years of age) of incarcerated
parents with branches in several states
Thundering Drums, Native American
Inmates Support
US Dream Academy - Mentoring
children at-risk including many
children of prisoners.
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
 Wings Connects inmates' families
to caring Christians, who welcome
them into congregations
WMMT Radio Provides occasional
broadcasts to Red Onion, VA prison
so families and inmates can
communicate.
Women's Prison Association
Service and advocacy for women
with criminal justice histories
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
Grants and Fundraising
 Criminal Justice Funding Report
Criminal Justice Initiative
FASTEN
Foundation Center
Grants.gov
Public Welfare Foundation
FCN’S LINKS TO OTHER
WEBSITES
Legal Assistance and Information
 ACLU
CLAIM Legal aid for women prisoners and
their families
FindLaw: Internet Legal Resources
'Lectric Law Library
Legal Action Center
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
North Carolina Prisoner Legal Services,
Inc.
Prisoners Rights Resource Guide
Vanguard Research Services On-line lowbudget legal research services
WWW.NEBRASKAPEN.ORG A forum for
inmates concerned about inmates' first
amendment rights.
JOHN 16:33
 “I have told you all this so
that you will have peace of
heart and mind. Here on earth
you will have many trials and
sorrows; but cheer up, for I
have overcome the world”
GALATIANS 6:9
 Let us not become weary in
doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we
do not give up.”