InnerChange has started similar programs in Iowa and Kansas that are in part funded by state government. InnerChange inmates apply for a slot in the program. 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. Within an hour, every inmate is singing, praying and reciting Scripture. In a classroom one morning this week, worn gray blankets blocked any view of the outside world. Garza encourages inmates to turn to Christ and seek forgiveness from God, from their victims and from themselves. Inmates are provided a personal mentor from a local church.