Sierra View PCA reached out to Tim.
Meet Brent England
Supervisory Chaplain, U.S. Penitentiary Atwater, CA
Topic: Inmates and the Local Church
Realizing that every RETURNING CITIZEN situation will have its unique features, we hope at this link to provide insights on some core issues, insights we hope will serve your desire to extend a hand of fellowship to believers after incarceration.
Subjects touched on will include:
The Principle of the thing
Pre-release relationship
Fellowship upon release
Culture Shift
Service in the church
Practical matters
Parole/Probation
THE PRINCIPLE OF THE THING
One important principle of relationship with returning citizens is to
acknowledge and keep in view the sameness we share as we together
walk in our redemption.
While the circumstances of past sin and of incarceration bring specific
challenges to sanctification, the issues of heart and of faith are
not
different-in-kind from that of any believer in the pew.
“If we believe that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all unrighteousness,
then this includes felonious unrighteousness.”
- Mark Casson, TableTalk Magazine January 2019
The very nature of the church is the community of
those redeemed from their own unbelief, disobedience and harm.
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Titus 2:13 … our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 … gave
himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a
people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
When addressing the congregation(s) in Corinth, having mentioned three kinds of sexual immorality, and idolatry, and stealing, and greed, and substance abuse, and scornful disposition, and swindling, the Apostle wrote to them to say…
1 Corinthians 6:11 …such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
The mindset of the church should not be: “You are the broken one, and we’re here to fix you.”
But rather : ““By His grace, we’re in this together for the glory of God. We together need the same Gospel transformation.
Pre-release relationship
If, on the counsel of Metanoia Prison Ministries or of a chaplain or other volunteer, a believer-still-detained seeks out your
church because it is in the location of his or her targeted release, they are doing the right thing! Relationship BEFORE release is deeply fruitful to integration after release.
When the believer first interacts with folks face-to-face, he or she will not be such a stranger and unknown and threatening commodity. Likewise, instead of the almost automatic anticipation of rejection, the believer will have a better
sense that he has already been in fellowship.
While life sentences are higher in percentage in certain states (California, Utah and Louisiana standing out), for very many states our communities can expect well more than 80% returning at some point. If your church has opportunity to
interact with a believing inmate BEFORE release, long before, that’s a privilege.
What could that interaction look like?
It should have some structure.
A discipleship track like what Metanoia provides in its Bible Study Correspondence
program helps in three ways. (Other chosen resources could also give this structure.)
1. It keeps interaction regular. Monthly (or even more frequent!) interaction is desirable.
2. It gives direction to conversation. Metanoia’s program constantly asks the
head/heart/hands questions.
a. Does the brother or sister understand the principles of truth there before them
in the Word?
b. Are those principles believed and embraced in the heart (not just the head)?
c. What is the outworking of those truths in practical walk of faith?
3. It sets the scene to make discipleship inquiry a natural (as opposed to a threatening)
part of relationship. It’s good to establish an atmosphere of agreement that inquiry
into spiritual well-being is perfectly ordinary. As a target release grows nearer –
really months before it is scheduled – it will be very good to come alongside the
inmate in his or her exit-planning process.
Understand that unless a returning citizen has resources for support, he or she will likely enter community with nothing, or almost nothing. In CA, $200 is issued (called “gate money”), but not all states issue anything at all.
Seek to get familiar with the planning and transition resources provided in the institution itself.
Matters of documentation – check to see if the believer has the ability to acquire the necessary documents for official identification.
Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, Driver’s license
Housing - It’s difficult to adequately emphasize the importance of having a definite plan concerning housing upon release. Such a plan must be presented to the parole
board to even make release possible.For many, and especially if substance abuse was a problem, some sort of programmed transitional housing is a better option than sleeping on a sibling’s couch or friend’s couch.
It’s very valuable for churches to acquaint themselves with…
Rescue Mission programming. Fresno Rescue Mission (559) 268-0839
The work of Teen Challenge. Central Valley (559)387-5132
And also such efforts as …
the Turning Point organization. Central CA (550) 225-1464 § or
WestCare Foundation. CA (559) 237-3420The Prison Fellowship organization works very hard to be aware of Christian
transitional houses. Fresno office: (559) 224-8020
Employment - Able persons at a church can be a great help in the preparation of a resume, which documents all academic and vocational training acquired through the years of imprisonment. Applications can be sent ahead of release, to get the process started and seek interviews. Business owners in the church can be blessed by the faithful work of a returning citizen. Just like in the world “out here”, not all will be found diligent or reliable, but many will.
FELLOWSHIP UPON RELEASE
If your church has not had opportunity for pre-release contact with a returning citizen, it is important, as early as possible, for church shepherds to inquire personally to assess a number of important issues.
Background of having come to the Lord, and discipleship journey
Any support structure available in the community
Vision and goals
Assets/liabilities
Potential threats to well-being
Responsibilities/obligations related to previous offense
Probation or Parole requirements
Be alert to watch out for loneliness-related dangers. Problematic romantic relationship and return to substance abuse are powerful temptations under the stress of feeling alone.
While work schedules, etc., can be a complication, urge the returning citizen to make consistent attendance at worship and mid-week fellowships. If two persons from the church (and two are much better than one) could commit to once or twice weekly friendship/fellowship interaction, for the first few months, that reliable resource of face-to-face interaction can be an anchor. That can be structured in conjunction with mid-week growth groups, but it’s important to have other personal elements of the interaction.
Life outside, where, for instance, you might get up, get things together, work all day, come home, get food and clean up, pay bills, clean up other things, change the oil in your car, watch the news and drop into bed, can rapidly feel lonely.
Friendship/discipleship interaction inside is often more constant than we in the church outside can imagine. It’s not unusual for believers to plan to get together with one another (at least a few) on the yards or in the day-rooms 5 out of 7 days in any week (sometimes more!).
Be alert to watch out for loneliness-related dangers.
Problematic romantic relationship and
return to substance abuse
…are powerful temptations under the stress of feeling alone.
Culture Shift
Especially if someone has been
out of society for a few years,
your alertness to how challenging the culture shift it can be an encouragement to the returning citizen.
Be sensitive if an inmate is uncomfortable with crowds.
Know that some inmates will face a retreat-to-isolation-response to pressures or discomforts, pulling away to a
bedroom or other room, almost as though it were a return to cell.Time can often feel more fleeting and ragged, since so many things previously provided by the system must be constantly
attended to.Outside may seem like an overwhelming place of 10,000 decisions. So much on the inside was prescribed and delineated. On the outside, life is a never-ending barrage of choices.
Though inmates can stay fairly current with news because of television access, the life-experience of changes in culture may be radically different, after having missed 10, 15 or 20 years.
Cell-phone screen-based entertainment, whether by games, chats, YouTube, Google-searches, or endless Netflix series, can consume a person, especially because it is such an easy default alternative to any challenging task or investment of personal thought and energies. [We know that out here, don’t we?!]
The 24/7 availability of pornography on the phone outside is a radical challenge, given that sexually explicit images are, on the inside, contraband, and are regularly searched for by staff and destroyed - therefore dramatically harder to get.
In Lennie Spitale’s excellent book, PRISON MINISTRY, Understanding Prison Culture Inside and Out, he says…
“One of the worst things a… church can do for a person who just came out of prison, is to put him on the spotlight too early.”
Mr. Spitale advocates giving the returning citizens…
“…the wise encouragement of taking the necessary time to get their feet planted firmly on the ground.”
The above counsel, though, does not mean: Do no service!
In fact, there is nothing so affirming as being called upon to serve! But it’s the “lime-light,” “testimony-tour” kind of role that can trip one up, if one is so freshly back into community.
PRACTICAL MATTERS
Always seek to cultivate initiative in the returning citizen.
One rule of thumb is:
Don’t do for them what they themselves can do!
Yes, some essentials (i.e., a coat, a month’s bus pass, etc.,) and certain kinds of direct assistance (i.e., a ride to DMV, help with setting up a bank account) can be provided, but there is a very wholesome affirmation in recognizing the God-given capacity in them to take care of things.
For many returning citizens, budgeting is new ground.
Nearly full-time work on the inside (5-7 hrs. per day can yield as little as $ 12.25 - $ 35.00 per week, so there may for the inmate be quite a gap of time since they have had to plan about rent, utilities, phone, food, gas and auto repairs, insurance, etc…
Take note, too, that if one has lived with desperately few possessions for a long time, there may be a strong temptation to blow dollars that come in.
PAROLE/PROBATION
It’s important to become familiar with the requirements of a person’s parole or probation. This is for the sake of the returning citizen, because e, n inadvertent violations can bring the risk of return to prison. An elder or Prison Ministry representative seeking direct interaction with the officer is advocated, and it can be a show of true community support.