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A lot of our energy is being devoted to that critical period. When a prisoner comes out of prison, he is as vulnerable if not more vulnerable than in prison.

If more people are in prison, that's fewer people on the streets committing crimes. Is an increase in prison population a bad thing?
There's an attitude that says we're going to solve social problems by putting more people in jail. Obviously that's not working, because the vast majority of these people are not entering society better off. What goes on in prison doesn't stay in prison. It spills out into the community.

A second thing that's contributed to that has been minimum mandatory sentences that take away the discretion of judges. That has proven not to be a good idea. We have instituted minimum mandatory sentences for a whole range of offenses, and it has resulted in long sentences and taken away judges' discretion to fashion the sentence based on the crime.

I understand there has been a dramatic increase in female prisoners.
A lot of it has to do with drugs, a lot of it has to do with methamphetamine abuse. It's tragic. Going into a men's unit is tragic enough. Going into a women's unit is doubly tragic, because almost all of them have children, and the shame that they bear for being separated from their children is a heavy, heavy burden.

What is Prison Fellowship's overseas ministry?
All of our overseas ministries are independently funded and independently chartered. So Prison Fellowship is not a missionary organization in the old-fashioned use of the word. People in those countries said, "We want to start a Prison Fellowship ministry in Ghana, in Bolivia, in Costa Rica." They begin the program, and they fund it. Their staff is indigenous, and their funding is indigenous. It's a model that has allowed for rapid expansion. It hasn't been plagued by East-West, North-South cultural differences that American missionaries often run into.

Our ministry looks very different in every country. But we share a common statement of faith, and we share a common objective to reach out to prisoners.

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The official website for Prison Fellowship has more information on InnerChange Freedom Initiative, a response to the ruling and the pending appeals, and links to media coverage.

Mark Earley responded to the ruling in several radio shows, linked to from PF. He also wrote this op-ed in The Washington Post.

Russ Pulliam commented on the decision in the Indianapolis Star.

A copy of the decision and a Q&A about their lawsuit against InnerChange is available from Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

The Becket Fund website posts resources and documents from the court hearings.

CT's coverage includes:

Bad Judgment | Ruling imperils faith-based programs around the country. (Charles Colson, August 1, 2006)

Imprisoned Ministry | The future of Prison Fellowship's rehabilitation program, and other faith-based social services, are in the hands of an appeals court (July 14, 2006)

Study Lauds Prisoner Program | Prison Fellowship releases InnerChange research at a White House roundtable. (June 1, 2003)

Suing Success | Prison Fellowship says its Inner Change program is clearly constitutional (April 1, 2003)

A Healthy Cult| A lively response by one unusual audience shows how God's power transforms culture. (Charles Colson, June 12, 2000)

Weblog: Christian Prison Program Sued (February 1, 2003)

Prisons: Unique Prison Program Serves as Boot Camp for Heaven (February 9, 1998)

Other news coverage includes:

God Pods | Audio. NPR's Morning Edition (September 7, 2001)

Promise and Pitfalls in Taking Religion to Prison | The New York Times (April 12, 2001)

Group sues Iowa over religious prison program | Associated Press (Feb. 17, 2003)

Secularists target prison charity | The Washington Times (Feb. 18, 2003)

Lawsuit: Prison Fellowship violates First Amendment | Baptist Press (Feb. 19, 2003)

Faith-based prison program challenged in court | ABP (Feb. 23, 2003)

Prison Preaches Rehabilitation Through Faith | Audio. NPR's Morning Edition (December 23, 2004)

Bible-Based Prison Treatment Program Shelved | Audio. NPR's Morning Edition. (June 7, 2006)

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November 2006, Vol. 50, No. 11