Studies in Florida show that those who attend Kairos have a lower recidivism rate than those who don't. Among those ministries reaching inside the prison walls is the Touchstones Discussion Project. It is based on the Great Books curriculum of St. John's College in Annapolis, Md., and encourages inmates to discuss issues from literature, mathematics and philosophy. Zeiderman hopes to get a grant to help take the program to parishes across the country. The very idea of putting our thoughts and our lives in order is a new habit.
Churches build bridges Many church prison ministries serve as bridges to the community.
These include Craine House for Women in Indianapolis, founded by Means, which houses female inmates and their preschool children. Brigid's Hope at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston and Prison Aftercare Ministry at St. James' in the Diocese of Washington, D.C., are examples of ministries that walk with released prisoners through their transition from incarceration to independence. Most of the headlines in the realm of criminal justice center on the death penalty. Opponents hammer at its unfairness to minorities and the underrepresented. Both sides in the debate see justification for their views in the Bible.