Community Revitalization Through Prison Reform  

 "... I was a stranger and you  took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and  you came to Me...When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to you? ...'Assuredly I say to you,  inasmuch as  you did it  to one of the least of these My brethren, you did It to Me." (Matt. 25: 35-40)

What is The Center For Church and Prison:

The Center for Church and Prison is a resource and research center working towards community revitalization through prison reform. Our goal is strategic solution development and intervention in the high rate of incarceration and recidivism  affecting especially men of color  and youth in the United States criminal justice  and prison systems. We are not a prison ministry but part of our goal is enhancing  prison ministries, and linking the prison and the prisoner with the community, individuals and other entities for strategic solution development and intervention. 

  "The rate of incarceration for African Americans in the United States is now at a level that is seriously affecting life prospect for the generation of black children growing up today. In addition, the ripple effects of current policy now extend the impact of incarceration beyond just the individual in prison, but to families and communities" (Marc Mauer, Sentencing Project.org)

WORKING PRINCIPLES:

 Emphasizing Holistic Reform Principles for Adequate Reintegration of the  Former Inmate

RESPECT:

For human dignity in the prison system

REFORM:

 In the sentencing process that will lead to reduction in the high rate of disparity and disproportionality in the criminal justice system.

REHABILITATION:

 With emphasis on preventive program development-education and skills development for employment possibility; In-prison emphasis on job readiness programs for adequate reintegration and economic mobility;  Post-Prison emphasis on employment and job creation, emotional stability for effective reintegration and readjustment to society after prison life.

RESTORATION:

 Emphasis on adequate social skills development and training for economic empowerment. Emphasis on  family, community and faith-based organization support in the restoration process of the former inmate towards confidence building and the reduction of recidivism etc.  

 A Black man has 1 in 3 (32%) chance of imprisonment
A Latino man 1 in 6 (17%) chance of imprisonment
A White man has 1 in 17 (5.9%) chance of imprisonment 
 
"The Degree of Civilization in a Society Can Be Judged by Entering its Prisons." 

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Hispanics are  16% of total U.S. population but 21% of those incarcerated in 2011

Blacks are 13% of total U.S. population but over 40% of those incarcerated in 2011

America's Two Major Private Companies: CCA & GEO Made 2.9 billion by Dec. 2010

MALE INCARCERATION RATE BY RACE IN 2009 WITHOUT YOUTH AND FEMALE

HISPANICS MEN: 442,000

WHITE MEN: 693,800

BLACK MEN: 841,000

"We who live in prison, and in whose lives there is no event but sorrow, have to measure time by throbs of pain, and record of bitter moment." 

Oscar Wilde