| THE
EPISCOPAL NEW YORKER |
|
|
Members of Diocese Respond to Needs of Prisoners By Neva Rae Fox In his address to the 2002 Diocesan Convention, Bishop Mark Sisk cited prison ministry as a necessary focus in the work of the Church. Calling “our deeply misguided prison system” a threat to “the very core of our society,” the Bishop pointed out, “To a stunning degree, our prisons have become a major industry whose primary purpose is to provide jobs, and even, in some contexts, profits, from the warehousing of young black and Hispanic men.” The bishop challenged
the diocese, saying, “We need to work with others for the reform
of our system in its many and complex dimensions with special focus on
the Rockefeller drug laws. We also need to expand our prison ministries,
since those who minister in prisons will be stronger witnesses to the
risks of our current corrections policies.” In
the State The New York State Department of Correctional Services, responsible for the confinement and housing of prisoners, lists 70 facilities throughout the state with 66,800 male and female inmates and 31,200 employees as of October 2002. There are 17 maximum, 37 medium and 16 minimum-security prisons in New York. These figures do not include federal facilities, county jails, or city-operated detention facilities like Rikers Island. In the 2002-2003 fiscal
budget for New York State, $2.2 billion is allotted to the Department
of Correctional Facilities, according to Ken Brown, spokesperson for the
state’s budget division. This figure represents 2.45 percent of
the total of the current state budget. |
Looking for more information?
|
|
In
the Diocese
The inmate population in these 20 facilities is 16,993 (November 2002), or 25 percent of the total inmate population of the state. Diocesan Prison Ministry
Network The diocesan Prison Ministry Network, under the chairmanship of the Rev. Canon Charles Pridemore of Trinity, Ossining, oversees many programs and work being done in the diocese. The main task of the Prison Ministry Network is “to connect people to the programs,” Pridemore explained. “We’re not into creating new programs. There is no sense in reinventing the wheel. The first goal is to identify as many programs in the diocese doing anything related to prisons, whether it’s visitation, family support or aftercare, such as working with families.” A recent survey conducted by Pridemore showed that 20 congregations from every corner of the diocese are involved in some type of prison ministry. “This ranged from the priest visiting or assisting when needed to membership in one or more programs,” Pridemore explained. The inventory is an ongoing process, and the programs “don’t have to be total Episcopal ownership. We’re trying to find out what is available,” he said.
Pridemore believes the foundation for prison ministry is hospitality. “We think people are interested, and we hope they are interested, in seeing this vast army of people who are incarcerated as part of the communities in which they are,” Pridemore said. “They are children of God, and just as much as we would extend hospitality to the people who live around us, we need to show hospitality to those in the prisons.” “The mandate
for prison ministry comes from Jesus himself,” noted Archdeacon
Michael Kendall. “It is basic to the life of the church. The extensive
work of our people in the prison ministry network insures the commitment
of this diocese to the work Christ has given us. As a network, prison
ministry is open to all and can grow to accommodate many more opportunities
to serve our brothers and sisters in prison.” Episcopal Social Services ESS offers programs for men and women in prison and those recently released. In prison, ESS offers the Network Program, which combines group support with life-skills education. The Network Program provides support, encourages positive peer interaction and helps inmates set goals and improve their socialization and education. Chinlund is a firm believer in education in prisons, and ESS together with the Bard College Prison Initiative offers the Prison Education program. Currently, there is no state funding for college education in prisons, but ESS maintains college programs in Bedford and Eastern. “Eastern is our biggest college program with volunteers coming from Bard,” Chinlund explained. His goal is to have college programs in all of the correctional facilities. Chinlund gives much credit to the state for providing inmates with secondary education. “That’s one of the great untold stories of the Department of Corrections,” he said. “Many have received an education and their GED while in prisons. Tens of thousands of prisoners have benefited.” Upon release, a former inmate is encouraged to attend one of ESS’s Network meetings, whether or not he or she had attended them while in prison. Network meetings are offered throughout the city, including at two in Episcopal churches. There are many advantages to attending the Network Program upon release, Chinlund pointed out, such as receiving needed (and appreciated) encouragement and support, especially during the trying time of readjusting to a non-prison environment. Also, the Network meetings are ideal for finding employment. “They have found it is vastly more successful to get a job from another inmate,” Chinlund noted. Episcopal Public Policy
Network |
|