USA (MNN) ― A recent report from the Pew Charitable Trust finds one in every hundred Americans behind bars.
This high incarceration rate throughout the United States significantly impacts state budgets without delivering a clear return on public safety.
According to the report, last year $49 billion was spent on corrections. That's up from $11 billion 20 years before. In spite of the higher prison populations, rehabilitation is failing. The national recidivism rate is roughly 75%,with former inmates returning to jail or prison within three years.
Crossroad Bible Institute's Dr. David Schuringa says it's a startling statistic. "That's where we come in. Right now, we have over 40,000 inmates who are in our discipleship program. It's been proven in scientific research that if a person in prison is engaged in sustained study of God's Word and being discipled, the recidivism rates can just plummet."
Without discipleship, Schuringa says, roughly three-quarters of prisoners return to a life of crime.
Participating in the discipleship program is easy. Inmates can request an Enrollment Form from family/friends, affiliated ministries, from CBI or the prison chaplain.
Once enrolled, the studies begin arriving. The student then completes and returns the lessons to CBI for correction. Trained volunteer instructors correct and return the lessons to the student, along with personal letters of discipleship. Once a course is completed, the student is awarded with a certificate and can choose to continue.
The church plays an essential role in this venture because local believers are the instructors who are equipped and empowered for this work. "You can become a missionary in your own home by correcting these Bible study lessons. We have a crisis in our country with soaring incarceration rates. But the church has the key to make the difference, and that is to bring God's Word into the hearts and lives of people in prison."
Continue to pray that God stirs hearts to be involved with this ministry. Pray for the funding to support the growth. Pray too for more Spanish-speaking instructors.
