Christian Studies Proves Amazingly Effective in Reducing Prison Violence

Inmate Violence at a prison has been greatly reduced since the prison started to offer religous studies to inmates.

440 medium-security inmates, a third of all inmates at the Sierra Conservation Centre have been involved in the religious program so far. The first 200 inmates completeted the program in April 2003.

During the previous year, the conservation centre experienced 5 riots, 103 violent incidents, 4 staff assaults, 1226 inmate disciplinary reports and 5 lock downs. However, in the year since, there was 1 riot, 67 violent incidents, 4 staff assaults, 1,067 inmate disciplinary reports and one lockdown.

The program has been mainly based on the best-selling Christian book, The Purpose Driven Life, written by Rev. Rick Warren who has been ministering a church in Orange County.

The inmate participants in the program read one chapter every day among 40 chapters of the book, refect on it, and converse the applications to their lives.

The inmates even established a non-denominational church, Sierra Christian Centre, and offer sermons in English and Spanish. Also, they set up a table in the exercise yard which they named "holy ground," where Christian and non-Christian inmates worship together.

About the whole change, prison spokesman Lt. Kenny Calhoun commented that the religious program had played a great role.

Encouraged by the results so far, the prison started a Bible-based 12-step program 4 months ago with the support of Warren's church, to help inmates who have problems such as alcohol, substance, emotional, physical and sexual abuse. The response of intimates has been quite good now 100 inmates are being involved in it. The conservation centre is now planning to expand the successful program.