More common that we would like to think

Men and women are released from prison every day. What do you want them to be like when they get out? 

Research has shown that juveniles incarcerated with adults are five times more likely to report being victims of sexual assault than youth in juvenile facilities. Furthermore, the suicide rate of juveniles in adult jails is 7.7 times higher than that of juvenile detention centers. I can't imagine the damaging effect rape has on a person.

An yet, Texas Governor Rick Perry refuses to comply with federal rules that would separate youth from adults in prisons. To make matters worse, 17 year olds are considered adults in Texas prisons. Scary thought!

I guess they deserve it right? I mean, if you commit the crime, then you should do the time. Besides, we already spend too much money on housing inmates and separating inmates would only exasperate the problem. Well, that's Gov. Perry's vantage point.

Consider for a moment if your son or daughter was sent to prison. Not likely? Think again. While the US has only 5% of the world's population, we house 25% of the world's prisoners - the highest in the world. At least we beat China in that statistic. Depending on the study, about 1 in 100 Americans are incarcerated. They're not terrorists and evil KGB agents, they are american citizens.

After their time in county jail, they are shipped around until they finally settle into a camp where they carry out their sentence. That's a lot of potential for something very bad to happen. If they were not a statistic on the street, they just might become one inside. Some prisons have entire dorms for rapists. Not those imprisoned for rape, but rather those that rape in prison.

In Kansas, we have learned that hard time is not the answer. In fact, since the DOC has switched from "lock up up and throw away the key" to more of a rehabilitative approach, our recidivism rate has dropped drastically. We have progressed from being among the highest recidivism rate close to 70% to a program that is looked at by other states as a model. Men and women are released from prison every day. What do you want them to be like when they get out?

These are men and women who broke the law AND they are our neighbor in need of our love.

Please pray for the imprisoned and support legislation that helps ensure they are treated as humans. Consider volunteering as a mentor for an inmate. Contact me if you are interested.