Effective Faith-Based Prison Ministry Target of Lawsuit
by Allie Martin and Jody Brown
October 26, 2005
(AgapePress) - A faith-based prisoner rehabilitation program administered by Prison Fellowship is the target of a lawsuit by a liberal group. The InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) is a structured, values-based prison program based on the moral teachings found in the Bible. Begun in 1997, the Christ-centered program -- which also offers life skills training and educational studies as part of its curriculum -- currently operates in prisons throughout Texas, Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Under the program, volunteers work with inmates before their release from prison to help them become productive citizens after their release, the objective being to reduce recidivism rates. Nationwide 50 percent of inmates return to jail shortly after their release -- but only 8 percent of inmates who have completed IFI's program will return to prison.
Despite that success rate, the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State is suing to have the program halted in Iowa's prisons. Americans United (AU) alleges there is an excessive entanglement in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights of the Iowa Constitution in regard to the state of Iowa's offering and partial financing of the IFI program. In other words, according to AU it violates the so-called separation of church and state.
AU leader Barry Lynn describes IFI as "essentially a government-funded conversion program" that "pressure[s] inmates to convert to evangelical Christianity" as the price of obtaining rehabilitation services. "[N]o American," says Lynn, "should be strong-armed by the government to adopt a particular religious viewpoint."
Mark Earley is president of Prison Fellowship, which helps run the InnerChange Freedom Initiative. He explains that the program is a two-year program.
"We work with [the inmates] for the last two years before they're released," Earley says. "And the purpose of the program is to seek transformation of these individuals through the power of Christ prior to their going back to the communities."
While Earley is obviously concerned about the outcome of the lawsuit on IFI, he says it could have far-reaching effects on other groups as well. "What I am actually more concerned about this suit is, if we were to lose, the chilling effect it would have on not only other departments of corrections around the United States, but other entities that want for faith-based ministries to have the opportunity to help solve really thorny social issues," he says.
Prison Fellowship maintains that nonprofit organizations -- faith-based or not -- that successfully meet the government's long-accepted goals of rehabilitation, successful reentry into society, and reduced recidivism rates should be allowed to do so. And prisoners should be allowed to take advantage of the resources available to them, says the ministry, provided those prisoners have freedom of religion -- and a desire to "pursue a changed life through their faith."
The case is being heard in U.S. district court in Des Moines this week, and is expected to run through the first week of November.
