Byron Johnson, Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University and author of More God, Less Crime: Why Faith Matters and How It Could Matter More, writes at Public Discourse about the recidivism rates for born-again prisoners and those who have not reported a turning to Christ:
. . . I tracked born-again prisoners and a comparable group of inmates who had not reported having a conversion experience. There was no difference in recidivism rates for these two groups following release from prison. I did not find that the conversion experience protected ex-prisoners from all manner of missteps once they were released from prison.
His solution?
If born-again prisoners are not the beneficiaries of structured instruction, mentoring, and support, they will most likely be rearrested and returned to prison in similar rates as their non-religious counterparts. These born-again ex-prisoners–new creations though they may be–are just as likely to return to prison, except that this time they will bring Jesus with them when they return.
I have interviewed hundreds of inmates over the years and many have served four or five previous prison sentences. When asked about their faith background, many have indicated they became a Christian during their first or second prison commitment. As many inmates have told me with great disappointment, they simply strayed from the truth and abandoned the commitments they made in prison. I am not trying to minimize the work of those who preach the gospel message in prisons, but unless other faith-based ministries on the outside of prisons are willing to do more intentional work with ex-prisoners, it will be difficult for new converts to transition successfully back to society.
This is one of the reason it’s so important to have ministries like Koinonia House National Ministries under the direction of ex-prisoner Manny Mill. Their commitment to the gospel and to the local church makes it a ministry worth partnering with and supporting. Their vision is to work with churches to meet these Christian neighbors at the prison gate, providing them with “biblical and whole-life discipleship.”
You can get a preview of Manny’s life, heart, and vision here:
