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REENTRANTS AND THE FAITH COMMUNITY
by
Rev. Sharon Best
REENTRANTS AND THE FAITH COMMUNITY
REV. SHARON BEST
MASTERS’ DIVINITY SCHOOL
MASTER’S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Master’s Writing Project
10628
Dr. Dennis Frey
SENTENCE OUTLINE
Thesis Statement: A Spiritual Disciplining Program, using Mentoring and
Bible-Based Discipling, will ensure that the participating ex-offender
(reentrant) will no longer engage in criminal activities. Because of his
love for Christ, he will then become a productive member of his Church
and Community.
I. It has been stated that over 2500 men and women will return to the
Washington DC Metropolitan area from prisons each year, for the next
three years.
II In January 2002, CSOSA, and the CSOSA/Faith Community Partnership
launched an initiative to assist reentrants in transitioning from prison
to their community.
III. A Discipling Program was developed within the Faith-Based
Partnership that worked intensively with the returning reentrants in a
spiritual environment.
A. Implementation began October 2004.
IV. The mentors were selected based on their spiritual preparedness,
self-control, social graciousness and holy living. He/she had to be
mature in their Faith. They had to have the endorsement of their
Spiritual Leader.
A. The reentrant had to show a desire to repent, accept God in his life
and be willing to grow in grace.
B. The reentrant had to attend a weekly worship service, as well as a
weekly support group.
V. This paper tracked five reentrants who returned to Washington DC from
the
Rivers Correctional Institution (RCI) in Winton, NC.
VI. Reentrant J.
VII. Reentrant JJ.
VIII. Reentrant JW.
IX. Reentrant JE.
X. Reentrant TC.
XI. Conclusion
Abstract
It has been stated that over 2500 men and women will return to the
Washington DC Metropolitan area from prisons each year, for the next
three years. Washington also has one of the highest recidivism rates in
the country (Williams, 2002).
Five ex-offenders (reentrants), who returned to Washington DC, were
followed as they transitioned into the Community, with assistance from
the Faith Community. Mentoring was one aspect of their transitioning.
A Discipling Program was developed within the Faith Partnership that
worked intensively with the returning reentrants in a spiritual
environment. By participating in this Spiritual Discipling Program, it
was expected that both the mentor and the reentrant would grow in
Godliness.
A Spiritual Disciplining Program, using Mentoring and Bible-Based
Discipling will ensure that the participating ex-offender (reentrant)
will no longer engage in criminal activities. Because of his love for
Christ, he will then become a productive member of his Church and
Community (Best, 2003).
The mentors were selected based on his/her spiritual preparedness,
self-control, social graciousness and holy living. He/she had to be
mature in their Faith. They had to have the endorsement of their
Spiritual Leader.
The reentrant had to show a desire to repent, accept God in his life and
be willing to grow in grace. He had to attend a weekly worship service,
as well as the weekly support group.
This program would track the reentrant intensely. An evaluation of his
progress would be done at three, six and one year intervals.
Background
In January 2002, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for
the District of Columbia (CSOSA), and the CSOSA/Faith Community
Partnership launched an initiative to connect offenders returning to the
District of Columbia from prison with the support and strength of the
city's faith institutions. This productive collaboration resulted in a
new model for efforts to integrate returning offenders into the
community (Williams, 2002).
The CSOSA/Faith Community Partnership's efforts were focused on
providing positive options and opportunities for criminal offenders who
would be returning to our neighborhoods after having served prison
sentences. These efforts included mentoring, housing assistance, job
training, employment opportunities, family counseling, substance abuse
aftercare services, and other support activities. The first year's
activities focused primarily on implementing a successful mentor
program.
The partnership and the community supervision was designed to:
• Reduce recidivism rates among reentrants under CSOSA Supervision;
• Improve public safety in the District of Columbia by facilitating
successful re-entry of reentrants to the community;
• Develop partnership/mentorship programs with stake holders in an
effort to meet mutual goals and;
• Build capacity of Faith –Based Institutions and other organizations to
increase the likelihood of future successful collaborative
relationships.
This writer was asked to be the Cluster Coordinator for the Northwest
section of DC. The geographic division of SE, NE and NW was used in
order to enable outreach efforts to be coordinated with the CSOSA field
offices in each area of the city.
The duties of the Cluster Coordinator included but was not limited to:
• Being the lead administrator responsible for coordinating the
reintegration program among the participating Institutions in the
Cluster,
• Convening Cluster Coordinating Council meetings and providing
administrative support in developing materials for the meeting,
preparing agendas and minutes, developing discussion materials, and any
other support activities required for the Council to function
effectively,
• Performing ongoing capacity building and quality assurance activities
to expand and monitor the Cluster’s network of services. These
activities included meeting with individual faith-based institutions to
identify interest in starting new programs and/or impediments to
expanding existing capacity, to quantify the resources needed for
additional capacity, and to develop strategies to obtain those
resources;
• Ensuring that the other faith-based institutions in the Cluster are in
compliance with purchase order requirements. I prepared and maintained
appropriate file documentation.
As the lead administrator employed by the Lead Faith-Based Institution
(my former Church) I was responsible for coordination of the
reintegration program between the other Faith-Based Institutions in the
Cluster and CSOSA. I was responsible for data collection efforts;
meeting established performance targets, and matching the CSOSA
referrals with the appropriate Faith-Based Institution within the
Cluster. I performed these duties from May 2002 until February 1, 2005
when this writer was terminated from the Program. My termination stemmed
from the fact that the Lead Faith Based Institution (my former Church)
had begun to use the money from the grant outside of the boundaries as
specified in the grant. And although technically they did not perform
anything illegally, ethically we had been selected to assist these men
and women in their transition back into the community. Using the funds
in any other way, to me, was neither being Christ-like nor being good
stewards of God’s money. When I questioned these practices, I was
initially given a $5,000.00 pay reduction, and when I did not cease in
my questioning, eventually dismissed.
There were a total of 38 offenders under supervision in the program at
the time of my termination. For the Discipling Program, 5 men mentored
by this writer had been chosen. They became the models for the Spiritual
Discipling Program. Although we have remained friends, this paper will
look at them within the boundaries of the program.
A mentor was defined as a volunteer identified by a Faith-Based
Institution and trained in mentoring services. H/she was to serve as a
Mentor to a designated Reentrant. Mentors volunteer their time and
services. A Reentrant was an offender who was in need of assistance in
the adjustment to community life. Reentrants were referred by CSOSA.
This process consisted of identifying Reentrants in need of the
faith-based reintegration services and recommending them to the Cluster
Coordinator to receive those services as well as the documents generated
within the process (Williams, 2002).
This mentoring was a one-on-one and /or group relationship designed to
provide personal support and encouragement to a Reentrant. As stated,
mentoring was only one component of a wide range of social, educational,
employment and other assistance programs that facilitated the Reentrants
transition to community living.
Along with being the Cluster Coordinator, this writer was also the
Program Coordinator for my home Church, which was also the Lead Faith
Based Institution. Because I was also a mentor, these triple duties were
often taxing in the beginning. When I initially came on board as the
Coordinator, I was three weeks post Heart Attack. My Pastor contacted me
at home, where I was recuperating, and asked me to join in this
ministry. The position was only expected to last for one year. Since I
did Prison Ministry, I felt that this would be a wonderful opportunity
to further assist my brothers and sisters transition back into the
community.
In reviewing this information, it is surprising that my Pastor, who had
asked me to develop this project and to see its implementation, wanted
to take all praise, and deny God in this process, once the program had
become successful. He also did not want this writer, the Coordinator,
who had done such extensive work to God’s glory, be recognized as doing
this work for the Lord. At the time of my release, the Church (who was
the Lead Faith Based Institution) had no mentors. Each member of the
congregation, who had been a mentor, had left the Church, for various
reasons, within that two year span. When each person left, if they had a
Reentrant, I usually mentored them until they could be referred to
another Church.
The Program
In September 2004, the Discipling Program was presented to the CSOSA
Director of the Faith Partnership. This was done after the writer had
presented an outline of this Program to her Writing and Research
Instructor at Master’s Graduate School of Divinity. The Director agreed
to allow me to begin this project in October. However, he did not
provide the requested funding to employ the needed mentors.
A questionnaire was developed for the reentrant in order to ascertain
his real needs, i.e. physical, spiritual, mental, and/or financial.
There was a special emphasis on his spiritual needs. The mentors were to
be selected from the Faith Based Partnership. An additional
mentor-training manual for the mentors was developed. This training
manual incorporated material used by Prison Fellowship Ministries, as
well as material developed by this writer (Best, 2003).
Eligible participants were identified from the Rivers Correctional
Institution who were returning to DC. They were identified through the
questionnaire and by identification from the Supervisors of CSOSA.
The mentors and reentrants were to correspond with each other at least
once a week until his release. It was hoped that they would also be
eligible for the Faith Based Video Conferencing, but their admittance
into the program was not contingent upon their acceptance into that
portion of the Faith Based Partnership. Each reentrant had to be
encouraged in his spiritual walk.
Once they returned, the mentor and reentrant would be in contact daily.
They would meet a minimum of once a week, especially the first month of
his release. This had to happen even if the reentrant had been assigned
to a Halfway House.
The reentrant would be encouraged to attend worship services with his
mentor. If that was not possible, he still had to attend worship service
as well as the support group each week.
A tracking methodology was used. This included the number and type of
contacts between mentor/reentrant each week; the number of worship
services the reentrant attended; attendance of support group by mentor
and reentrant; and any activity between mentor and reentrant (Best,
2003).
A monthly assessment of the mentor/reentrant relationship was also
developed. This assessment included his faith; his concerns’ his
victories’ his needs (to assist the program in identifying resources
necessary to meet those needs); a progress report to his Community
Supervision Officer; his adjustment to the community and; his employment
or training history.
At the end of one year, an evaluation would be done to determine if his
Faith Walk had been such that he was now able to mentor and disciple a
brother still at the Rivers Correctional Institution.
The training of mentors and identifying reentrants for the program would
be continuous.
Implementation
J.: The first young man, J. was released from the Rivers Correction
Institution (RCI) in January 2003. He was assigned to a Halfway House. I
did the initial assessment. He was then assigned to a participating
Church. J. refused the assignment. He stated that he wanted me to mentor
him since I knew so much about him. J. quickly found employment, but
felt that his spiritual growth was lacking. We did Bible Study together.
J. also wanted to be a driver. He studied diligently for his CDL
license. He passed the test and is now a chauffeur. The New Testament
places emphasis on Christian work, not general labor. It is noted,
however, that in the early Church there was no contempt for manual
labor. Both Jesus and Paul had trades. Secular work was viewed as
service to God. Eph. 6:7 advises slaves to work heartily ‘as serving the
Lord and not men.’ A Christian should not tolerate a poor attitude
towards his work responsibility. He ultimately answers to God for this.
J. and I are in the process of developing the Discipling Program on a
larger scale. We both know the need for this program. It will be
implemented with or without funding by CSOSA. There are many young men
being left in the cracks. Simply not committing new crimes once they
return to the community does not mean that their lives are back
together. Resources are still badly needed. Many still do not know Jesus
as their Lord and Savior. The Faith-Based Initiative is inclusive of all
religions. Our program is Christ Centered. Hosea 4:6A tells us: My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
We must tell as many as we can about the saving grace of our Lord and
Savior. Our task or mission is to witness. The core of the message is
the death and resurrection of Jesus. Witnessing is the result of the
Holy Spirit.
J. feels that God has a call upon his life. Psalm 32:8: The Lord says,”
I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you
and watch over you.” He wants to attend a Bible College. I have told him
about Masters’ School of Divinity.
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval.
Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
explains the word of truth. (II Tim. 2:15NLT)
JJ: J.J. came home in 2004. He was part of the Faith-Based Mentoring via
Video Conferencing. JJ had many problems coming home. Initially he was
featured in a series of news reports because he had been offered a job
with a construction company. They however, did not follow through on
their promise of a job. He was not qualified for the position that they
gave to him. His CSO became angry with him when he was terminated, but
he could not perform in that position. JJ eventually found employment
with another company. However his experiences with the FBI were so
distasteful that he never fully opened up to me. However, I still showed
JJ love and support, no matter what happened to him in the secular
world. The Apostle John makes clear that the ideal is love.
And I will give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made
holy by your truth. (John 17:19 NLT)
Christ was consecrated and set apart to do a Holy task, as are all
Christians. In order to develop a holy life, we must fortify ourselves
from our past life to a new life. That had to be continuously applied in
working with JJ. I had to remind myself often that it is the Holy Spirit
whose work gives forth this new life. Man cannot control it, for it is
God who gives His Spirit:
The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing.
And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:6
NLT)
This new life is to be life in the Spirit. Christians must totally rely
on the Spirit. He has now begun to attend services again. It is my hope
that soon he will fully give his life to Christ again.
JW: In 2004 JW came home, and was very excited. His fiancée was waiting
for his return. Because he was homeless, JW went to the Halfway House.
It took him a while to find employment as a cook. When he did, he was
able to save enough for a room of his own in a rooming house. He and his
fiancée (G) attended his cousin’s church. JW began a bible study with
me. But his personal life was in turmoil. He had many disagreements with
G concerning money. I had to remind him that God is Love and when you
keep God’s Word, you are being perfected in love for God. He had to
learn how to be a Godly man because most of his adult life had been in
riotous living. He and G. then decided to move in together. I admonished
him that this was not the Godly thing to do. This was blatant sin.
But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not
sinned we are calling God a liar and showing that His word has no place
in our lives. (1 John 1:9-10 NLT)
JW then lost his job. G put him out of her house and he became homeless
again. We lost communication with each other for a while. Then JW called
me and told me that he had relapsed and did not want to see his CSO
(Parole Officer) because he would be returned to prison. Finally I
convinced him to come see me. We then agreed that he had to turn himself
in because a warrant had been issued for his arrest. I called His CSO
and discussed the situation with her and her supervisor. JW turned
himself in at the police station the next day. We still remain in
contact via letters and phone calls. I let him know that Jesus still
loves him and that ‘we fall down, but we get up.’
For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you
not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create
rivers in the dry wasteland. ( Isaiah 43:19 NLT)
God is present in every situation in our lives-even periods of trouble.
We often view hard times as a sign of defeat. However, if we look at our
beginnings, we can find hope and assurance in knowing that just as God
moved for Israel, God will move for each of us.
I admonished him to use this time in prison to become connected to his
Savior again and to study God’s Word.
Do not worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God
what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will
experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His
peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
(Phil. 4:6-7 NLT)
JE: JE came home in 2004. Prior to that I had met him at the RCI. He
wrote to me each week and asked me to be his mentor. JE had a concern
while incarcerated. The Warden, who had done a search of his room, read
a response letter to him from me. They did not like the advice that I
had given him. I explained that I was his mentor and was not
representing CSOSA with my remarks. His caseworker had given him
misinformation and I simply gave him the correct answer. This had made
his caseworker look incompetent. That was not the case. She simply did
not understand the various methods of release. If one felt threatened
going to a particular halfway, another halfway house could be requested.
It was his right to make this request.
When JE came home, he moved in with his sister, who was very supportive.
He quickly found employment. JE began attending Church with his sister.
He gave his life to Christ and was baptized. He attends worship service,
as well as the Bible study group. He is excited about the Lord and is on
fire for Jesus. He has repeatedly said that no matter what happens, he
is going to stay with his Lord and Savior.
TC: TC came home in 2004. He began writing to me in November 2003. He
stated that because of his long time drug addiction (over 30 years), he
had burned all bridges in terms of his friends and family. While
incarcerated, he read his Bible and did Bible Study. Often we discussed
what a particular passage meant to him and how he could apply it to his
life. We had many stimulating conversations and letters. One problem
that TC had was his estrangement with his family. His cousin and he had
shared a home left by their grandmother. The cousin refused to allow him
to return home. Consequently TC was homeless and had to go to the
Halfway house.
Until he found employment, TC would often come to my office and work
with me. He stated that he was going to ‘stay in my hip pocket.’ The
death of his cousin allowed TC to return home. He also found employment
with his previous employer.
This job consisted of finding daily employment for people in the food
industry. By doing this, he was able to touch the lives and hearts of
many men and women returning home from prison. This was a great
opportunity to witness to them.
Although TC was strong in the Bible, he had to learn how to apply what
he had learned. While in prison, the temptations of the street life did
not affect him; therefore, he could spend a great of time with the Lord.
When he came home, TC initially found that the things that worked for
him at RCI now did not work for him.
I encouraged him to become my prayer partner. He attended worship
services with me, but had found a Christian support group nearer his
home.
As he became stronger in the Lord, TC felt it was time to make amends
with his family. He began talking to his four adult children, and to his
surprise, they still loved him and wanted him in their lives. Proverbs
22:6 tells us, Direct your children onto the right path, and when they
are older, they will not leave it.
His next challenge was greater. He began going to the church of his
ex-wife and eventually they began the slow process of healing. At the
time of this report, they have reconciled and are trying to start a new
life together in Christ.
In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands.
Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will
speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your
pure and reverent lives. (1 Peter 3:1-2 NLT)
He next found employment as a case manager assisting other men and women
returning home for prison. Unfortunately, TC felt that he no longer
needed a mentor and became less available as his life took on more
responsibilities. Although I have spoken with TC, the last time I saw
him was the week prior to my termination. At that time he was drug free
and still serving the Lord. I can not ask for more.
Conclusion
We looked at 5 reentrants who were mentored from July 2002 until Feb.
2005. They became the models for the Spiritual Discipling Program. This
was incorporated into the Faith Initiative with the approval of the
Program Director at CSOSA. We had originally asked for a budget so that
we could use at least 10 mentors. However this was not done.
This program started with 10 unpaid mentors and 15 Reentrants. However,
we only took this small sampling of five reentrants for this paper. We
did this since we were unable to follow the Reentrants for a year, by
reason of my untimely termination. The termination left the writer
without access to the necessary CSOSA records and materials.
Although my mentored Reentrants and I have remained my friends, I have
only written this paper within the confines of the Faith Based Program.
Four of the reentrants are still in communication with me. I do plan to
write a follow-up on their outcome.
I realize that the sample was small. Therefore, I am in the process of
repeating this program through my Ministry, “Love Covers All.” I have
spoken with two other ministries that do Reentry, Conquest Reentry
Offender Integration and Mt Olives United Missionary Baptist Church, and
will continue this program. And with Gods’ blessing, it will be with a
larger and broader population.
You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all
you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there
were better things waiting for you that will last forever.
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the
great reward it brings you. Patient endurance is what you need now, so
that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that
He has promised. (Hebrews 10:34-36 NLT)
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About the Author:
SHARON BEST, BA, THM
PASTOR
Perfecting Christian Center, Clinton, MD
Pastor, 2006-present
Senior Minister, Bible Study Teacher, Biblical Counselor
EDUCATION AND SPECIALIZED TRAINING
D.Min, Masters Graduate School of Divinity, 2006, Evansville IN
MA in Theology, Masters Graduate School of Divinity, 2005, Evansville,
IN
BA, United Christian Ministry Institute, 2003, Columbia City, IN
BA, Word to the World Bible College, 1995, Denver, CO
Computer Skills and Workplace Education Program, 1990, Certificate of
Completion, Wider Opportunities for Women, Washington, DC
Mortuary Science Degree, University of District of Columbia, 1989,
Washington, DC
Degree in Liberal Arts, 1979, Tidewater Community College, Portsmouth,
Virginia
VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
2006 Pastor, Perfecting Christian Center
2005-Present: The S.T.E.P.U.P. Foundation, Of Greater Washington, D.C.
2000-Present: Board Member, Conquest Offender Reintegration
1997-Present: Minister, Bible Study Teacher, and Worship Leader
1998-Present: Ministry Team Leader- Prison Fellowship in DC.
1995-1998: Teacher of Adult Education at the Washington Saturday College
1994-2001: Sunday school Teacher
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Management