Breaking the Cycle

Recidivism.

 

It’s not a word that comes up in daily conversation, but it should. Recidivism is the chronic tendency toward repetition, referring specifically to crime and criminal behavior.

 

Consider these realities in the United States:

• 76 percent of inmates return to prison within five years.
• 68 percent are arrested again within three years.
• The median annual cost to house one inmate is approximately $65,000.
• There are nearly 1.9 million inmates in state and federal prisons.
• The total annual cost of incarceration approaches $80 billion in taxpayer dollars.

Those numbers are staggering.

 

The question we should be asking is simple: Why is the recidivism rate so high? Why are so many inmates returning to prison?

While there are many contributing factors, I believe a primary issue is the gap between behind the walls and beyond the walls.

 

The Gap Between Incarceration and Reintegration

What is the real process of preparing an inmate to re-enter society?

 

For many, there is little difference between the life they left and the life waiting for them upon release. If nothing changes internally and nothing changes externally, the cycle simply continues.

 

Without support, structure and spiritual transformation, it becomes difficult to build a different future.

That is where ministry matters.

 

A Knoxville Ministry Filling the Gap

On Monday’s Ministry Corner, a weekly program on Joy Radio WRJZ, we recently introduced Focus Ministries here in Knoxville.

 

Focus Ministries works with women in prison through a structured 12-week program built on biblical teaching centered on Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. The ministry walks alongside these women while they are still behind the walls, preparing them for what comes next.

 

For some women, the journey continues at the Focus Ministries residence after they complete their sentence. At the Focus house, staff and volunteers provide hope and healing through intentional programming and comprehensive support.

 

Their mission is clear both behind the walls and beyond the walls: to share the Good News that true freedom is found in Jesus Christ. Through that relationship, women find healing from the pain of yesterday, strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

 

The staff members I interviewed have powerful testimonies of how Focus Ministries filled the gap in their own lives. Because of that intervention, they now live transformed lives in Christ and productive lives in society.

 

Every graduate of Focus Ministries represents a life redirected and restored, not another statistic in the 76 percent who return to prison.

 

How You Can Be Part of the Solution

If you would like to be part of this “between the walls” ministry, visit focustn.org.

 

You can email the ministry at office@focustn.org or call 865-694-3837.

 

Partnering with Focus Ministries is an investment in changed lives and eternal impact. When we help close the gap between incarceration and reintegration, we help break the cycle.

 

Listen to Monday’s Ministry Corner

Tune in to Monday’s Ministry Corner on Joy Radio WRJZ every Monday at 2:30 p.m. and discover how God is working through local ministries to strengthen our community and transform lives. You may also find ways to become personally involved in what God is doing right here in East Tennessee.

 

Dr. Pat Polis

The Church Mechanic