items of interest

with contributions from Denis L. Whittet, Amy Neff Roth

"People want to believe their prisons work," says Jack Cowley, director of Innerchange Freedom Initiative at a Texas state prison. "Our one aim is to bring about a life-changing experience through a walk with Christ, and provide people with tools so they won't commit crimes anymore."

Although prisons have included religious programs for years, Innerchange Freedom Initiative is different. Inmates immerse themselves in religious ideas for up to eighteen months. They rise at 5:30 a.m. for worship, attend religious support groups and classes that will help them in dealing with relationships and with their children. They also learn how to control their anger.

When they are released from prison, volunteers from local churches monitor them for six months—helping them to make the transition from prison to membership in the community.

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