Ministering in prison is part of a correctional procedure for inmates. The main purpose of this ministry is to provide emotional support for the individuals that are incarcerated either in prison or jail. However, this process is either carried out by volunteers among the inmates or the priests from the nearby churches. The Catholic church is one of the religious fellowships that plays an instrumental role in providing spiritual support for people behind bars. Integrity, respect, unity, and stewardship are some of the core Christians values that can have a long-lasting change among rehabilitated individuals. With the current high levels of recidivism, prison ministry is the only tool that can save the society from future crimes.
In analyzing this concept, it is worth considering that each prison has unique ministry programs, policies, and procedures. Therefore, the responsibilities and functions of prison ministries vary depending on the stipulated policies and the organization in charge of providing this service. For instance, Catholic personnel delivering these services are always tasked with the responsibility of keeping important interaction records which are useful in determining the overall effect of the service among the inmates ( Beckford, 2013). After day-to-day summaries are compiled, they are forwarded to the jail or prison ministry coordinator for evaluation. Besides record keeping, visiting inmates is another important function of prison ministries. However, the Catholic jail and prison ministers take this concept seriously since it can easily jeopardize the security systems of the rehabilitation center. Based on this concept, the ministry vets its volunteers before allowing them to cooperate with the local authorities in the visitation exercise.
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In most prisons, the security staff requires that inmates have one church service regardless of their denominations ( Beckford, 2013). For instance, all those individuals affiliated with Christianity are allowed to have a common service as protestants. Like in any other church, prison ministry services are conducted in an orderly manner with the chaplain or priest mandated to provide spiritual support for the prisoners. Apart from praying for the salvation of inmates, the prison ministries also help in providing books, bibles, correspondence, and birthday cards to the inmates as a way of persuading them to transform into better people in the society. Priests and other personnel leading the service help to mentor the newly released inmates to prevent them from recidivism. However, for the effectiveness of this process, prison ministers are required to adhere to the rules and regulations stipulated by the rehabilitation facility. For instance, they should be in a position to provide full identification details while entering the facility ( Beckford, 2013). Also, the workers need to abide by the facilities’ dress code and schedules. Based on this concept, the prison ministry volunteers need to understand the materials to be used, lessons and their participants. It is with this knowledge that the worker can properly prepare for the service. Considering that people change based on what they see and hear, it is important for the prison ministry workers to prepare well before making any presentation.
The concepts explored in prison ministry provides better inspiration from a leadership perspective. Generally, prison ministry services are founded on a thorough adherence to the details. This aspect is important since it provides leaders with a chance to manage people by paying attention to their detailed preferences and needs. Mostly, prison ministries have failed due to their tendency to presume that the church service will work perfectly without enquiring on the needs of inmates ( Pierce, 2014) . By assuming their service to God, the prison ministers fail to understand that the main purpose of the process it to provide redemption to the inmates. Primarily, Prison ministry is all about building trust between the inmates and the chaplain administrators. It is only through the establishment of this trust that the lives of inmates can be enriched spiritually. As a leader, this aspect helps me to reflect on my responsibilities. Trust is the only way through which any leader can understand what the subordinate members require. Since prison ministry is founded on trust and adherence to details, it provides me with a chance to improve on my leadership capabilities. In prison ministry services, the chaplain coordinators and other service providers are required to build an understanding with the inmates for their effective enrichment.
Integrity is another key aspect of the prison ministry that can inspire any leader. Generally, any prison ministry worker is required to have high levels of integrity for the effective functioning of the ministry. Considering that workers are required to report to the facility at scheduled times, and they don’t jeopardize the security protocols of the rehabilitation centers, it is worth embracing integrity in leadership. By doing so, the workers serve as role models to the inmates since they adhere to the moral guidelines stipulated in the society. However, it is worth noting that ministry workers are guided by the biblical view regarding integrity and adherence to the law. With this knowledge, leaders can effectively lead others justly since they are more likely to desist from indulging in any process at can jeopardize their authenticity and adherence to the law.
Lastly, the restoration of prisoners is another key aspect that can be embraced in the leadership environment. Restoring people’s lives is one of the most difficult tasks for any leader. However, the ability of prison ministry workers to transform the behavior of inmates by providing them with hope through the spiritual word provides a better inspiration platform from a leadership perspective. For instance, the spiritual core values of honesty and respect can be used to enhance positive behavior among the inmates. With this ideology, leaders are required to acknowledge the importance of developing the character and lives of their juniors. Leaders are not judged by how they manage others but how they can improve their juniors. With the spirit of restoration, leaders can play an instrumental role in nurturing good behavior in society. With the concepts explored in the prison ministry, it will be prudent for the leaders to be inspired by the spirit of restoration, integrity, and adherence to details. As a young leader, I have always been inspired by the willingness of prison ministry workers to sacrifice everything for what is right for society.
Counseling strategies and staying focused on the bigger picture are other important aspects of ministry work. Preaching the word of God alone cannot be effective if it is not integrated with proper counseling exercises. Counseling stands out as an important aspect in prison ministry work since it provides a viable platform through which inmates can air out their concerns. For instance, in the Catholic church, an ordained minister can visit, counsel and provide sermons to the inmates (Pierce, 2014) . As much as spiritual word provides a subtle enrichment to the inmates, counseling provides them with a chance to redeem themselves. When people freely air out their thoughts, they gain the courage to face their fears and become better people ( Pierce, 2014) . Also, focusing on the bigger picture is another key concept that is important in the ministry. In some cases, ministers feel demotivated when they start feeling that the inmates do not require their services. When the minister’s work is focused on enriching the inmates, procedural setbacks cannot act as a deterrence.
In Christianity, sin is part of human nature, and all people have a high potential to commit a crime. Based on this concept, Christianity has changed how people behind bars are perceived. It is no secret that inmates have bibles in their cubicles. From a fieldwork perspective, inmates may even discard their bibles to get the ones provided by the ministers. With this knowledge, their mentality and how they perceive ministry works is entirely changed. Also, the spirit of sharing as advocated by Christianity is insightful in today’s fieldwork expeditions. For instance, inmates affiliated with Christianity are more likely to share bibles and other materials that are important for their happy living. Based on this concept, it is evident that the current ministry works play an important role in enriching inmates.
From a theological perspective, ministerial works help inmates to create their identity and how they are expected to behave. In Christianity, the bible distinctively provides an overview of what is right and wrong. Therefore, these stipulations serve to inspire inmates to choose what is right in their lives and discard all the wrongdoings. Although rehabilitation centers are used for behavior deterrence, Christians do not see punishment as a form of justice ( Pierce, 2014) . Therefore, the rehabilitation centers are not places where inmates are punished but rather a place where they can redeem themselves by adhering to the bible teachings. With this knowledge, it is important to note that the integration of ministerial works and normal behavior correction procedures can have a tremendous effect on the overall behavior of inmates once released back to society.
Prison ministry is important in the current world since it helps to prevent recidivism among the inmates. According to the American National Institute of Statistics, 67.8% of released inmates were re-arrested 2005 ( Durose, Cooper & Snyder, 2014) . Based on this statistical data, it is evident that recidivism is the current global problem that correctional facilities need to tackle. Considering that the prison ministry teaches about embracing good behavior, it can play an instrumental role in preventing inmates from perpetrating unacceptable forms of behavior in the future. The core teachings of respect, honesty and integrity can transform the personality of the inmates and make them better people in the society.
References
Beckford, J. A. (2013). Religious diversity in prisons: chaplaincy and contention. Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses , 42 (2), 190-205.
Durose, M. R., Cooper, A. D., & Snyder, H. N. (2014). Recidivism of prisoners released in 30 states in 2005: Patterns from 2005 to 2010 . Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Pierce, D. W. (2014). Prison Ministry: Hope Behind the Wall . Routledge.
