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March 20, 2008
AL: Faith-based organizations partner with state to provide services from prisoners returning to communities
"Faith-based organizations have a long history of volunteer and missionary work in the state's prisons. The new program will expand and formalize the arrangement, Allen said. After the meeting of church leaders, charity managers and state officials, which was closed to the public, Riley said he has no concerns about issues related to separation of church and state. And there will be no limits placed on churches' using the program to proselytize to inmates."
State to partner with faith-based organization to provide services for newly released inmates
Wednesday, March 19, 2008 STAN DIEL, News staff writer
MONTGOMERY - The state of Alabama will partner with dozens of faith-based organizations to provide services for newly released inmates, Gov. Bob Riley announced Tuesday.
Churches and charities statewide will be asked to work with state agencies to help the 7,000 inmates released from Alabama prisons each year find jobs, child care, housing and social services such as counseling or drug rehabilitation, he said. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and the Department of Corrections will manage the program, which has an initial goal of determining what faith-based help is available for inmates in every county in the state.
"A lot of people who leave prison have not had to deal with society for 10 or 20 years," Riley said.
Richard Allen, commissioner of the state Department of Corrections, said that more than a third of the inmates released each year re-enter society without any supervision. They get little or no guidance and often have trouble finding the support necessary to keep them from returning to prison.
Under the new program, every inmate will be made aware of state and church-based programs in his area before his release, he said.
Elana Parker, who is helping coordinate the program for the Department of Corrections, said she's already identified about 50 churches and organizations that are willing to help, and expects to find many more after the governor asked for assistance at a Tuesday meeting of an advisory council that includes church leaders.
Bill Johnson, ADECA director, said the state also will solicit help from the churches attended by inmates' families.
"We're going at this from the inside," he said.
Faith-based organizations have a long history of volunteer and missionary work in the state's prisons. The new program will expand and formalize the arrangement, Allen said.
After the meeting of church leaders, charity managers and state officials, which was closed to the public, Riley said he has no concerns about issues related to separation of church and state. And there will be no limits placed on churches' using the program to proselytize to inmates.
"You're more likely to stay out (of prison) if you're a part of something larger than yourself," the governor said.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/120591468528750.x
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Posted by lois at March 20, 2008 05:55 PM