July 31, 2000
BGCT leader sees need for ministry to former inmates
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___GLORIETA, N.M.--Americans were shocked several years ago to learn about a girl who delivered a baby in the restroom during her high school prom, abandoned the baby and then returned to the prom.
___Yet that's exactly what Christians are doing in many jails and prisons, according to Jim Young, coordinator of restorative justice ministries with the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___"When we lead a person to Christ in prison and then abandon them, we have failed," he said during the Texas Baptist Family Reunion.
___The church has responded well to the need for ministries inside prisons and jail, Young reported, but has not begun to address the needs of inmates once they are released.
___"The biggest problem is what happens when they walk out the door," he warned.
___In most cases, the spiritual support system the inmate might have developed in prison is left behind and a new spiritual support system is not found.
___Christians need to meet inmates when they walk out of the door of a prison and help them get re-established in society, Young urged. Otherwise, most inmates released from prison fall into unhealthy situations.
___Young also cited the need for ministry to corrections officials, families of inmates, families of victims, victims themselves and court officials.
___About 220,000 people are incarcerated in Texas prisons and jails, Young reported, with 145,000 in the state's adult prison system.
___Texas has the highest per-capita incarceration rate of any state in America, he said. "What does that say about our state? What does that say about our churches?"
___One way to stop the booming prison population is to help those released from prison not be sent back, Young said. "Without help, once people get out of prison, they're going to go back in."
___This also has implications for family ministry, he added. "Children of inmates are six times more likely to go to jail than other children."
___Texas Baptists interested in learning more about any aspect of criminal justice ministry may contact the BGCT for assistance. Young listed these specific contacts:
___Restorative justice ministry, Jim Young, (888) 311-3900, young@bgct.org.
___
___
___
___
___
Send this story to a friend
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!