Climate change and high temperatures in many places have affected the plight of the two million incarcerated people. Can you imagine being locked into a room with no air conditioning and temperatures above 100 degrees? The question is not whether the prisoners have made a mistake but what we can do to make a positive change in prisoners’ lives and help them become contributing citizens.
The ministry that sponsors this website has an extensive outreach to incarcerated men and women. We currently have 6,000 people who are taking our free apologetics correspondence courses. We offer free materials to prison chaplains for use in education programs in the prisons they serve. One thing that can help the prison situation is education. A large percentage of prisoners are men under 40 who have very low education and work experience. Violent offenses account for 58% of those in prison, but 16% are incarcerated for property offenses, 13% for drug offenses, and the rest for other reasons.
We have three free correspondence courses dealing with evidence for the existence of God. Most of our students tell us what led to their incarceration. They do not attempt to justify their acts, but virtually all of them express a desire to change. The idea that society is protected by keeping them locked up is not accurate because the average time served for violent offenses is four years. Even those in prison for murder serve an average of 15 years. While in prison, many of them learn more ways to commit crimes and end up in gang participation. Imagine the cost to taxpayers to maintain this system while failing to make a positive change in prisoners’ lives.
We want to add our voice to the growing movement calling for prison reform. The present system produces national pain and leads to more violence. We must provide education, support groups, job placement, medical treatment, and humane conditions to change this blight on our culture. Unfortunately, prisons are restricting what we are allowed to do, making it harder for us to offer help toward positive change in prisoners’ lives. Faith in God and the teachings of Christ can change a person. Christ calls everyone to repentance.
— John N. Clayton © 2024
References: The Vera Institute of Justice, the Marshall Project, the Brookings Institute, the U.S. Bureau of Justice, and Kings Crossings Prison Ministries.