Prison Fellowship International (PFI) has introduced what it believes is a groundbreaking approach to ministering to prisoners that achieves both the salvation of souls and a drop in re-offending.
PFI, basing their ideas on the work of Italian elite theorist Vilfredo Pareto, have suggested that attempting to change the entire population of a prison is "challenging", but by engaging with just 20 per cent of the prisoners, real and dramatic change can occur.
Pareto is most well known for the "Pareto Principle" which suggests that in any organisation the vast majority of the work is actually done by just 20 per cent of the people.
According to PFI, if just 20 per cent of prisoners at a given institution experience a "meaningful personal transformation" then the knock-on effects can radically change the prison's culture.
Such individual change is brought about by PFI programs such as The Prisoner's Journey, which aims to bring the gospel into the lives of prisoners. Thousands of prisoners worldwide have completed The Prisoner's Journey course, with 70 per cent of those going on to other discipleship programmes.
PFI has cited examples of where the new approach has made a significant impact. Monrovia Central Prison, in Liberia, saw re-offending levels drop from around a third to 10 per cent, while Minas Prison in Uruguay reported a drop in violence thanks to The Prisoner's Journey.
Andy Corley, CEO of PFI, said of the new approach, "While prison programming saturation models exist and are powerful, it can be challenging to gain that much influence and access in a prison. To reach a moment where significant and often unstoppable change occurs, we have seen that engaging with just 20 per cent of a prison population can actually 'tip' the whole prison for the better. "
TFI has also noted powerful testimonies of those on both sides of the prison system.
Ulanda, a prisoner in Malawi, said, "Through The Prisoner's Journey, I now understand that te Bible is a gift to help me understand God's love for me. I feel alive every time I read the Bible. I know that Jesus is in me and even though [I] am still in prison, I am free inside. When everything fails, Jesus never fails."
Meanwhile an unnamed prison warder in the Philippines said of the progamme, "When The Prisoner's Journey was first implemented, I wasn't expecting any impactful benefits. God quickly changed my view and showed me how much He uses this course in the lives of prisoners. Prisoner behaviour and the atmosphere in the cells have dramatically improved."
