When I began my studies of people with criminal records as a potential workforce, I quickly learned that employment is a “necessary but not sufficient” condition. Even low-paying employment reduces recidivism by more than 20%, so a paycheck is critical…
What I learned working in a Texas prison: Retribution, not reformation
I served as a pastor for 33 years and then worked nearly six years as a counselor at the most high-profile maximum-security prison in Texas. There, I ran the mental health department, nestled in the prison infirmary, which serves all…
New book connects views on crime and punishment to faith perspectives
Donald Trump’s infamous Bible photo-op in front of a church last June was an appeal to white evangelicals’ belief that crime, punishment and faith are intertwined, author and historian Aaron Griffith said. That worldview came into even starker relief when…
Secularist group raises red flag over Baptist seminary inside Arkansas prison
A secular group opposed to excessive entanglement of church and state says a new prison seminary program set to begin this fall in Arkansas may be unconstitutional.
Churches struggle to serve those behind bars, study finds
Christ’s disciples are called to serve the least of these. But that may not include the least of those in prison and jails, a new study finds. LifeWay Research surveyed 1,000 Protestant senior pastors and found that most of them…
Baptists lead movements to ease ex-offender return to society
By Jeff Brumley and Ken Camp There’s a growing push, here and there around the country, to stop treating ex-cons like criminals after they have served their time. The restorative justice movement is nothing new but is taking on fresh…
People of faith key to healing wounds of mass incarceration, expert says
By Ken Camp In a nation where mass incarceration policies have devastated poor and minority communities, people of faith and hope can bring about change, an advocate for criminal justice reform told a Baylor University crowd. “Injustice prevails where hopelessness persists,” said…
Minister trades prison garb for orange T-shirt to help ex-cons find work
By Jeff Brumley Customers and staff took notice when a guy wearing an orange prison jump suit strolled into an Italian restaurant in Waco, Texas, for takeout on the final day of Lent 2014. “It was weird to me so…
Warden calls for churches to help break cycle of criminal activity
By Ken Camp A Louisiana prison warden known for pioneering faith-based programs wants to see urban and suburban churches work in partnership to reintegrate ex-offenders into society and minister to inmates’ children. “We want to make the urban church into…