Faith-based prison program reduces re-arrests

WASHINGTON — A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and completed this month shows that graduates of faith-based InnerChange Freedom Initiative are less likely to return to prison. Prisoners that completed the program were 50 percent less likely to be re-arrested during the two years after release. They were also 60 percent less likely to be re-incarcerated.

“Faith-based initiatives are about transforming lives,” said Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Participants in the program live in a separate prison unit and follow a curriculum of faith-based teaching, work and study for 16 hours a day, seven days a week and up to 18  months. The program is run largely by volunteers and currently exists in Texas, Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota. InnerChange Freedom Initiative is operated by Prison Fellowship, which serves all 50 states.