The Church and Re-entry

Alfred Long

That challenges awaiting formerly incarcerated men and women can be overwhelming. In prison they had little control over their daily lives. Once outside the gates, they will be making many critical choices in a world they might not even recognize.

Each year, over 600,000 people are released from prison and of that number, within three years, two-thirds will be arrested again. Prison becomes a revolving door that tears at the fabric of families and communities.

Many become discouraged and feel that it’s easier in prison than out. What is really devastating is that the prison mentality is passed down through generations repeating itself over and over.

The question is, “How can the Church break the cycle of a lifetime of crime, addiction and prison”? In my forty five years of prison ministry I’ve found that three components work together to provide a successful re-entry. They are faith, family and community, all of which the Church can provide. They remind me of a three legged stool. If any leg of a three legged stool is missing the stool is unstable and unsuitable to sit on.

The first leg of the “stool of reentry” is faith. There are thousands of prison ministries preaching the Word of God in the prisons. There are also thousands of prisoners introduced to God through faith in Jesus Christ in prison.

Their hope in life is restored, They are introduced to a new way of living because they become reborn in their spirits which trickles down to every area of their lives.

(2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun”!

It is important, upon release, that the justice involved individual find a Church that welcomes them and disciples them to mature in Christ. Ideally, there is a seamless transfer from prison to Church and Churches should proactively open their arms to those returning home from prison.

More importantly the Church can show love which lays the foundation for a successful re-entry.

(John 13:34-35 NIV)

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The second leg of our “stool of reentry” is family. Ask yourself, “is there anything else needed besides a declaration of faith in Jesus for a successful reentry”?

I pose this question because I’ve seen so many people on fire for Jesus, while locked up, yet lack the ability to transfer that fire to a successful reentry.

What happened?

Neither I nor you are in a position to judge the validity of anyone’s salvation yet scripture teaches us to add to our faith.

This is where Church becomes the family that helps the person returning to society grow in the knowledge of God. This alone cuts recidivism, because it’s very unlikely that a person returning to dysfunctional families will stay out long. This also involves discipleship, which is the work of the Church.

(2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV)

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love”.

The third leg of our “stool of reentry” is community. A successful Reentry requires that the returning person knows about and takes advantage of the resources available in the community.

Some will need housing, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, identification, job training, access to medication and other needs. Most Churches aren’t equipped to satisfy all of those needs but it can provide Mentors or Reentry Coaches to pray, encourage and make referrals for those who need them. This also is a part of discipleship.

When all three legs of our “stool of reentry”, faith, family and community are intact, it will greatly reduce recidivism rates and restore stability to our families and communities.

And The Church plays a huge part in making this happen!

Alfred Long Sr.

Alfred Long Sr. Is a Pastor, Author, Biblical Counselor, Life Coach, and Consultant. He is the Founder and Director of Jacob’s Ladder Ministries and the proud husband of Kacie Starr Long. Pastor Al is available for speaking engagements and consulting on “how to grow a successful prison ministry”.