InnerChange has started similar programs in Iowa and Kansas that are in part funded by state government. Inside, the inmates share hugs, tears and song. Their world seems nothing like the 111 other prisons in Texas, and the inmates aren't treated like the state's other 153,000 incarcerated men and women. But the courts require that faith-based groups not entice participants with shorter sentences or better accommodations. The prison walls are lined with quotes from Scripture.
Banners celebrate such values as gentleness, kindness and long-suffering.
The inmates' day starts at 5 a.m. sharp. Within an hour, every inmate is singing, praying and reciting Scripture. They spend three hours in the morning studying the Bible, treating their addictions and learning life skills, all in a distinctly evangelical style. In a classroom one morning this week, worn gray blankets blocked any view of the outside world as morning class was in full swing. Two dozen inmates, mostly black, listened intently.