Faith behind bars

By Rosanne Bowman

LIMA — According to the current statistics put out by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, there is a 34 percent recidivism rate. That means over a third of all prison inmates go on to commit another crime after being released from prison.

Allen Correctional/Oakwood Correctional Institution houses a few more than 1,500 inmates. (The two institutions combined into one organization in November and is now referred to as Allen Correctional/Oakwood Correctional Institution and maintains two buildings with separate populations). Currently, there are more than 40 different ministries that come in to serve these inmates. These ministries range from single individuals to well-known national organizations such Prison Fellowship.

According to a recent survey put out by Justice Quarterly, one in three inmates participates in a religious program of some kind. However, only a few studies have looked at the results of faith-based ministries on recidivism rates.

Byron R. Johnson, a professor of sociology and co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, is one of the few who has conducted an in-depth study that looks at how participation in faith-based ministries influences the recidivism rates.

Johnson found that the higher the participation rate by inmates in Bible studies and other religious programs in prison, the lower the recidivism rate. In fact, he found the rate to be significantly lower at 14 percent. He also wrote a book on his findings called “More God, Less Crime,” which explains his academic study in detail.

Of course, all faith-based ministries rely heavily on volunteers to go in and conduct services, Bible studies, prayer times and one-on-one mentorship, depending on the particular ministry.

Each individual volunteer has to go through the prison's process to gain access to the inmates. According to Tanya Wright, the acting public information officer at Allen Correctional/Oakwood Correctional Institution, this involves filling out a volunteer packet, undergoing a background check, and being interviewed.

“They have to be interviewed by our chaplain Charles Dupree,” she said. “He can then determine what kind of services the person or organization can offer the inmates.”

Jim Spallinger volunteers through Bill Glass Champions for Life, a national prison ministry. He started in 1998 and did periodic visits, but has become more heavily involved over the years. Currently, he goes in weekly.

“We have an eight-week follow up program for any guy who makes a decision for the Lord,” he said. “But the guys appreciated our coming so much that once that was over, we kept going with Bible studies every week.”

Spallinger admits that he was a bit nervous when he first started visiting inmates.

“I had no idea who I was going to meet,” he said. “Most people have a fear of it being unsafe. A couple times, I had someone scoff at me, but I've never really been threatened. The correctional officers are right there, and I'm sure the Lord is protecting us, too.”

He was initially surprised at the number of inmates who were very receptive to his visits.

“I couldn't believe how many guys see the wrong direction they had taken and were seeking changes,” he said. “They were anxious for Bible study and to learn about God.”

The Rev. Ronald Fails' Grace Church Worldwide Ministries does a monthly service, weekly Bible studies and annual crusade at the prison because of the need among his own church members.

“We've always focused our ministry on the needs in our own church,” he said. “We are made up primarily of the minority community. One of the biggest issues in the minority community is the absence of men. That is what led to our prison ministry — there is a high proportion of minority men in prison.”

Son Reign Prison Ministries, headquartered in Dayton, is another organization that comes into Allen Correctional/Oakwood Correctional Institution, as well as 23 other prisons throughout the area.

“We want to see these guys live,” said Louise Wilson, president of Son Reign Prison Ministries. “We want to see them come to the Lord, and when they are out of prison to live successful lives and live in society.”

Wilson cited the difficulty many have in finding jobs once they are out of prison.

“Finding a job when you have a felony on your record is very difficult. We are writing a grant right now so that we can form a training center to teach job skills to these men,” she said.

For staff at the prison, the various ministries and individuals who visit with the inmates is a positive thing.

“It is always a plus to have volunteers get in to see the inmates,” Wright said. “We only have one chaplain, so it is good for the institution to have volunteers active in each religious function. We have inmates who practice a wide variety of religions, and the volunteers help the inmates to actively participate in their particular religion.”

If you have a story idea or an item you feel the community would like to know about for the Religion section, please contact Rosanne Bowman at bbowman3@woh.rr.com or 419-516-6149.