A Quick Introduction

Facts!

Each year, about 650,000 individuals across the United States are released from prison. Some of these individuals are released back into the community unconditionally with no parole supervision or rehabilitation support.^[1] An entire world of humans are troubled and held captive by sin unwittingly.  A man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble (Job 14:1).  God has sent His Son and the Holy Spirit to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:17-19).

Recidivism defined:

The writer was employed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and has conducted extensive studies on the problem of recidivism nationwide. As defined by Pew Charitable Trusts, recidivism is the act of reengaging in criminal behavior, despite being punished. ^[2] Bales and Piquero (2012) defined recidivism as a conviction for a new felony after prison release or after being sentenced to a community control program (a form of probation), resulting in a sentence to a local jail, state, prison, or any type of community supervision. ^[3]

The Purpose

The purpose of this website is to investigate and establish how the effects of one’s faith will modify behavior and address multilayered problems associated with recidivism.  We would like to use this website as a quick introduction to pastors/counselors, psychologists, probation officers, and law enforcement who will benefit from our findings. 

The information from this website can be used as an alternative tool by which they (pastor/counselors, psychologist, probation officers, and law enforcement) can implement new strategies of modifying unwanted behavior of people with a criminal background such as ex-offenders in the Kansas City Bureau of Prison. This will also help us in examining the challenges encountered by such people before or after incarceration and will provide valuable insights to psychologists/counselors with a better understanding of the human developmental processes. Moreover, we would endeavor to provide alternative approaches that will induce a positive behavior.

This website will discuss such topics as the history of man, spiritual formation, and integration of spiritual and secular counseling to reinforce the positive behavior of ex-offenders and those in need of spiritual counseling.

[1] Victoria A. Shivy, J. Juana Wu, Anya E. Moon, Shay C. Mann, Jo G. Holland, and Christine Eacho, “Ex-Offenders Reentering the Workforce.,” Journal of Counseling Psychology 54, no. 4 (2007): 465.

[2] Bales, W. D., & Piquero, A. R. Assessing the impact of imprisonment on recidivism. Journal of
Experimental Criminology, 8(1), 2012: 71-101.

[3] Pew Charitable Trust Pew center on the states, State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons. Washington, DC. Retrieved on Oct 20, 2020, 1. https://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/legacy/uploadedfiles/pcs_assets/2011/pewstateofrecidivismpdf.pdf