Breaking Prison Cycles - Changing Futures

This week's Unconventional Ministry Newsletter explores the thought-provoking question discussed in the latest podcast episode. The question invites us to reconsider the purpose and potential of American penal institutions.

In the podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cary Sanders, who dropped out of high school and was arrested 17 times by age 17. However, he turned his life around while in prison, earning his GED and later a scholarship to the same university where he was once banned for trespassing. Cary went on to earn a bachelor's degree, marry a godly woman, purchase a home, earn a Master's degree, become a father, and eventually earn a doctorate.

Today, Cary Sanders Sanders is the CEO of JUMPSTART, an organization that provides a Christian environment for ex-offenders to transition from incarceration to a productive life. The ministry is dedicated to breaking cycles of crime and addiction by building transformational opportunities for those who need them most.

?Listen now to our interesting podcast conversation.

Cary Sanders says “I know JUMPSTART works because I am a JUMPSTART graduate!”

How serious are the challenges of incarceration in America? Here are some interesting statistics from the Prison Reform website

• Less than 5% of the world's population is in the United States, but 20% of the world's incarcerated people are in the United States.
• Over the last 50 years, the American state and federal prison population has grown by about 700%.
• Nationally, 70% of those who are in the prison system will return within three years after they're released.
• Between 1983 and 2019, local jail populations grew by approximately 195%.
• The average incarcerated person has been arrested nine times.

The criminal justice system of the United States has been globally recognized for having one of the highest incarceration rates. This fact highlights significant societal and systemic issues that need to be addressed. The impact of this scale of incarceration goes far beyond the individuals who are incarcerated. It affects their families, communities, and the broader societal fabric in terms of lost workforce participation, social cohesion, and perpetuation of cycles of poverty and disenfranchisement.

The high rates of incarceration in America can be attributed to a variety of factors, with the "War on Drugs" being a major contributor. The issue has been further exacerbated by mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Policies adopted since the 1980s, which aim to be tough on crime, coupled with the privatization of prisons that creates economic incentives for high incarceration rates, have also played significant roles. Additionally, systemic racial disparities and socioeconomic factors increase the likelihood of imprisonment for marginalized communities.

Comprehensive criminal justice reform is needed to tackle the root causes of high incarceration rates in America, which are complex and intertwined.

Did you know there is a difference between a jail and a prison?

• Prisons are facilities under state or federal control where people convicted (usually of felonies) go to serve their sentences.
• Jails are city or county-run facilities where a majority of people locked up are awaiting trial (in other words, still legally innocent), many because they can't afford to post bail.

What is now known as JUMPSTART began in the mid-1990s as an idea among a group of believers who met Christ while serving life sentences. They were heartbroken to see so many people released only to be returned to prison a short time later. Many of those released needed to prepare for their challenges upon returning to the community. These believers were convinced that people needed to be prepared by securing a stable place to live and work, arranging transportation, attaining life skills training, and embracing accountability before being released. As a result, JUMPSTART was founded to help others and to break the cycle of recidivism.

Over the years, the organization has experienced tremendous growth as lives have been restored from the inside out. Most of that growth has occurred in South Carolina, where JUMPSTART began, but new state chapters have formed in Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina. God has orchestrated many people, churches, and organizations to develop JUMPSTART into a healthy and thriving organization. Growth and opportunities continue today because God is restoring broken lives as many discover Christ and realize their future can be greater than their past. We endeavor to join Him where He is already at work!

I'm curious: Does your church have a prison ministry?

In a Christianity Today article, it was highlighted that the government is increasingly seeking church involvement in prison ministry. This is due to the alarming rise in violent incidents, deaths, suicides, and drug overdoses inside prisons, which has left the corrections departments overwhelmed and in dire need of assistance. Various volunteers from churches across the country, along with government officials and prison chaplains, have expressed that Christian ministries have been instrumental in bringing about positive change within the prisons.