Fishing for souls

During my ministry at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, I rotate through the units looking for men to talk to.  I'll ask the officer to announce something like, "the chaplain is on-deck and available to pray and read the Bible." 

We get some kite requests for visits, prayer, and spiritual direction, some.  Our chaplain office has word searches sudoku puzzles and some solid Christian books available for reading.  We receive very popular books by Dr. James Gills.  I circulate, "Don't waste your life," by John Piper, and "An anchor for the soul," by Ray Pritchard.

Often, the men ask us to do things we are not free to do--contacts friends or family or carry out some legal or jail need.  They want us to contact someone on the outside.  

Should there be a restraining order, we could walk ourselves into a big mess by participating in what the courts have blocked.  Since many defy these orders regardless of the consequences, we can't help them at all.  

We respond, "My supervisor doesn't allow me to do that, but I'd love to share and pray with you." In those cases, that is all they want and once they find out we can't and won't do those things, they walk away.

During these fishing expeditions, we pray and "send out a line." Guys sometimes open up about a prayer need or about their religious journey.  I'll ask them where they are at spiritually and they might say,  "Oh, I am a Christian.  If the Lord gets me out of this mess, I will really believe Him."  

I do not pursue information about their cases with them, at all.  Sometimes, they share a harrowing story about their innocence.    

In other words, they are obviously not sharing the real story with me and minimal contrition--until the Lord miraculously opens their hearts.  They are used to a firestorm of manipulation and con games.  

I'll ask them to look up John 3:16.  Sometimes, they get their faster than I do.  They do have a solid spiritual background and know Him but have been caught in a web of substance abuse and other crimes.  

Other times they have never even heard of that verse and location so they search around the table of contents aimlessly.  It's amazing to me over and over again how much that is true.

I'll probe carefully but deeper and ask the Lord to work mightily as I begin to share verses from the Gospel of John or Romans.  As we continue, the guys may really want to dig in and I can make a full gospel presentation.  That does happen and frequently.

Homelessness among jail inmates

Hearing stories about homeless men is a constant theme as I meet one-to-one with men at the Regional Justice Center in Kent.  Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries and other outstanding ministries

What is really going on?

Is the problem overblown in my thinking?



My writing collaborator added this anecdotal reference:

Jim is 52 and was recently released from Monroe.  He had been able to get a temporary spot in a group home in Tacoma.  Though he was from Vancouver (where all his relatives are) the DOC would not send him there because he could find no place to stay.  Release day came and they loaded his three boxes of belongings into a van and drove them - and him - to the Metro bus depot with his check and a bus ticket.  

Metro would not take his boxes aboard.  The struggle was long, but he finally got to Tacoma on Greyhound and walked his way (ferrying his three boxes one by one) to the group home a mile away.

homeless are young, too

Jim has been out for months, but has no worked. Before prison he ran a large Safeway, and is a very bright and capable man, but none of that counts.  To be homeless is to be in a never-ending, desperate struggle daily to find shelter each night.  You are marked.  One step out of line and you go back to prison (failure to report, loitering). 

I did some research, noted my sources, and invite you to read carefully, here:

"The rate of recent homelessness among U.S. jail inmates was found to be very high (15.3%), approximately 7.5 to 11.3 times higher than that found in the general population...

real people under the bridge

"In comparison with other inmates, homeless inmates were not only more likely to be currently incarcerated for a property crime but also more likely to have past criminal justice system involvement for both nonviolent and violent offenses and to have mental health and substance abuse problems and a lack of personal assets.  

"Past studies of individual jails and city jail systems have found higher rates of homelessness than we did, ranging from 7.8% to 20% of persons who were homeless at the time of incarceration and 25% to 33% of persons who had an episode of homelessness in the two months before incarceration."

Jail Incarceration, Homelessness, and Mental Health: A National Study by Greg A. Greenberg, Ph.D. and Robert A. Rosenheck, M.D., Psychiatric Services website, February 2008.

Here is another study: 

• More than 10 percent of those coming in and out of prisons and jail are homeless in the months before their incarceration.  

• For those with mental illness, the rates are even higher-about 20 percent.   

• The rates are also higher for those returning to major urban areas... 

• 49 percent of homeless adults reportedly spent five or more days in a city or county jail

• 18 percent had been incarcerated in a state or federal prison.  

"Prison release was identified as a major contributor to homelessness in a 36-city survey on hunger and homelessness by officials in six cities (Cleveland, Denver, New Orleans, Phoenix, Seattle, and Washington, DC). Reentry policy council website, 2002 study

one meeting in the Gospel of John

My work at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent focuses on winning men to Christ and building faithful ones up to teach others right within the units where they are serving time. Often, we get one chance to meet with an inmate.  So, the Gospel of John is an awesome place to build a solid foundation.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." John 5:24

The RJC holds men and women while they await court proceedings.  They could be held in custody for longer than one year as legal actions develop or are continued. The inmates are sometimes transferred between the downtown Seattle and Kent jail sites.  If their charges allow for less than one year of time to be served, they may be assigned to finish at either jail site.

Bridge illustration

Recently, I met with Jason who was struggling with grief over the passing of his sister and mother.  He was obviously distressed so I just asked him to sit down and talk with me for awhile.  As he shared his family story with me, he calmed down so I asked about his spiritual or church background.  He never went to church nor read a Bible.

He admitted never considering God in his life so I asked if I could share some Scripture with him.  The Lord led me to introduce Jason to Jesus Christ through the gospel of John and to show him how he might have a forever friendship with Him.  We read through John 1:12-13, 3:16, 4:13-15, 5:24, and 14:6.

Jason wanted Jesus forever.  We shared how he could know Jesus forever, we prayed together, and I left him to read John 10, 14, and 15.

I may never know what happened with Jason as he was released the next morning. I had one meeting and he was gone.  What really happened?  I presented the gospel.  Jason responded and is in God's hands forever.

Religious services delayed in Monroe

Killing stalls religious programs at Monroe prison

by JIM BATES, The Seattle Times

Outside Monroe Correctional facility

MONROE, Wash. -  They see it as shining light in a dark place.

Every year, hundreds of volunteers go behind bars at the Monroe Correctional Complex to bring hope and faith to inmates.

Religious programs at the prison have ground to a halt since corrections officer Jayme Biendl was slain at her post on Jan. 29. Byron Scherf, 52, a convicted rapist already serving a life sentence, is the prime suspect.

The killing has focused public attention on a place normally hidden from view -- the prison chapel -- where many inmates make an earnest effort to find God and the good in themselves. Those who volunteer there aren't sure what lies ahead.

Since Biendl's killing, prison officials met twice with dozens of religious volunteers to address their questions and concerns. Volunteers came from around the state, said John Burkholder, pastor for prison ministries at Cascade Community Church in Monroe.

About 70 religious organizations provide services to the Washington State Reformatory, where Biendl was posted and Scherf was housed. It is one of five prisons within the Monroe complex. Religious programs are a critical outlet for inmates, said Joenne McGerr, who oversees religious, volunteer and family programs for the corrections department. It goes beyond the Bible, she said. Religious services help curb prison violence. The chapel volunteers provide good role models. They teach inmates social skills, such as respecting themselves and others.

Volunteers can help inmates address their physical, mental and spiritual needs, Burkholder said. They help ready them for life outside. "There's a lot of wounds and a lot of mental anguish that have to be healed while you're working with this stuff," he said.

The historical records for the reformatory chapel are under lockdown as part of the police investigation. However, McGerr of the corrections departments said it is her understanding that the chapel was built decades ago using community donations.

Religious services are conducted mostly by volunteers. Community groups donate supplies and resources. Many of the costs are borne by the Offender Betterment Fund, which is supported by offenders and their families.

Penny Castro of PFC

The corrections department is required by law to have chaplains in each prison, spokesman Chad Lewis said. Newer laws say the state cannot pay to build chapels, but they can be built with donations. Volunteers generally work in the prison chapels. Along with traditional worship services, they organize Bible studies, church history classes and religious movie showings.

It's tough work, but it's a calling, said Penny Castro, volunteer placement coordinator for Prisoners For Christ Outreach Ministries, based in Woodinville. Volunteers are eager to get back in once the lockdowns are lifted, she said. "We understand that there is spiritual warfare," Castro said.

For many inmates, the chapel is a place to seek change.

Steve Clines has been volunteering at Monroe for about 10 years through Prisoners For Christ. He's seen inmates leave gangs and racist groups as a result.


Still, volunteers understand that some inmates will come to the chapel for the wrong reasons.
It can be a place to get away from the danger and dullness of prison life. Inmates know they can relax there a little, said Randi Knaus, who has been volunteering at the prison for 27 years.
Inmates often try to manipulate religious volunteers, he said.

Volunteers undergo hours of training before they can visit prison, Burkholder said. They learn policies and protocols. Annual refresher courses are mandatory. Violence in the chapel is extremely unusual, Clines said. In his decade visiting Monroe, he's only heard of one scuffle between inmates.

Clines said he knew Scherf, but he and others didn't know the details of his violent past. Volunteers don't ask inmates about their crimes. However, many inmates share their histories as they build personal relationships and work to change their lives, he said. To his knowledge, Scherf never did that.

Volunteers don't know when they'll be back in the prison. The magnitude of what happened is still sinking in. Every aspect of prison operations is under scrutiny, including the chapel. The lockdowns were still in effect as of Monday night, Lewis said. Prison officials meet daily to discuss the return to normal operations.

After the police investigation, the corrections department plans a Critical Incident Review, led by prison administrators from around the state, Lewis said. The National Institute of Corrections also plans an independent review in the coming weeks, at the governor's request.

Then, the corrections department can focus on moving forward.  Volunteers will head back into the prison as soon as they get the word, Burkholder said.

Bring the greatest news ever amidst broken lives

Memorial for Jayme Biendl

With Monroe Corrections Officer Jayme Biendl memorial service over this week, I want to briefly revisit my string of posts about violence in the jails and prisons.  

It was brought to my attention that what I wrote in my most recent blog might be perceived to downplay the impact of her death. Perhaps, my blog posts took a particular side when nerves are still raw from her tragic death.  While I could have come across in that way in my posts, that response would be a far cry from my intentions.  

Talking about broader issues of violence in the jail and prison systems might have be seen as too soon after the completed memorial in Monroe and Everett and the difficult events at the RJC in January in which several officers were injured.  

I stand strongly against evil regardless of status of individuals in our corrections facilities.  I am privileged to work shoulder-to-shoulder with every jail and prison staff worker, administrator, and officer; and am sent by the Lord to reach incarcerated men in the institutions with the love of Jesus.

It does not matter if the uniforms are black, blue, red, orange, white, or striped.

 

I serve daily with Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center, the King County Jail in Kent, prisons around the state and in Oregon, and in international missions.   

Our PFC mission is to reach "the least of the least" who are incarcerated in our jails and prisons with the Luke 19:10 message, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost." 

I strongly support Christ's message to all who are oppressed, imprisoned, or captive. That mission is on both sides of the bars, doors, and windows.

Looking closer at violence at jails and prisons

Monroe Corrections Center

I was privileged earlier this week to be available and listen to an officer in one of the units at the RJC about his stress over "the Officer Biendl situation."  I went into a unit to talk with inmates but none came forward. Very naturally, this officer just started to open up.  It's a rare blessing to be available to the staff.

Some inmates and officers alike radically improve their attitudes and behavior when any guest enters the units they are overseeing.

My good friend Gordon is a former inmate in Washington state DOC prisons. We knocked a couple e-mails back and forth about my two most recent blogs as we react to the Jayme Biendl death at the Monroe Corrections Center, in lockdown since the killing.

This is all the more reason to remain faithful to live out and proclaim the greatest good news in the universe--God sent His Son, the unblemished Lamb of God, to save sinners.  This is all the more reason to remain faithful to the stations where the Lord Himself has called us.


A percentage of officers like wearing uniforms so they can exercise power and treat inmates with over-the-line abuse.  The media reports about the inmates who attack officers. 

"The problem, Gordon wrote, " is not just one of noble, dedicated men and women risking their lives with dangerous prisoners...  Nobody documents the slurs, the shoves, the explicit and implicit violence committed by prison guards on their charges.  

"Why does that kind of violence happen?  Because any organization attracts a shadowy group of people who see opportunity.  Prison work attracts a percentage (my addition) of men and women who like to denigrate and punish other grown men.  

"No, they're not all like that.  I know and respect many officers I've met, and I have no wish to hold up one side of the equation to ridicule - but that's the point: there are two sides, and both need attention.  

"The problem is neither "how do we get the cons to behave?" or "how can we support the guards?".    It is simply this: How can we all learn to live with respect, humility, and kindness, convict and guard alike.  

"You know the answer to that, and maybe your expansion of your ministry to include staff is an implicit acknowledgment of it.  I guess Rodney King," Gordon closed, "was right after all: Can't we all just get along?"

No, we can't.  We've proved that.  We live in a sick and sinful world.

What is this all about?  What do we make of the violence in all directions?  Why is it so hard to work through all this?  We live amongst flawed people in a broken world.  We are flawed ourselves.  These acts of violence are evil.  There is no other explanation.  Evil ravages our broken world.  We can go round and round.  

Ongoing ministries toward staff amidst stress

Outside a prison in Pendleton, OR.

In light of the recent killing of Officer Jayme Biendl at the Monroe Corrections Center, how can those of us who serve in jail and prisons impact the sites where we serve for the Kingdom of God?  I am thinking here about support staff, officers, and administrative personnel.

Isolating on one incident in Monroe overlooks a much broader perspective and deeper need.

Keep in mind,  each level of incarceration--city, county, state, and federal-- maintains separate administrative oversight.  Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries and other jail and prison ministry groups serve in all levels of incarceration.

 We must not grow discouraged but redouble our heart faithfulness and continue to pray. Occasionally, we are privileged to listen and even pray with staff.  We know our daily presence and consistent, ongoing service has great impact.

Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center

In mid-January, a detention officer at the Kent Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center where I serve was hospitalized after an inmate assaulted him in a common area in the jail's administrative-segregation unit.

The officer suffered very serious injuries and a second officer, who jumped in to help restrain the inmate, was also injured badly enough to be sent to the hospital. Two others received minor injuries while moving the inmate inside the Kent facility.

After this event, I made myself available for prayer and whatever other support the administrative staff might need.  While there was no response at the time, the gesture was important.  Fellow PFC Chaplain Dick Rothlisberger and I shared with a number of officers over the past years.

Here are some statistics dated 2007, US Government Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, 31st Edition, US Department of Justice, Washington DC--

Assaults on Corrections Officers

33,000 inmate on staff assaults per year
90 assaults per day, 3.7 per hour

2.7 staff assaults per 100 inmates – county
1.4 staff assaults per 100 inmates – state
0.9 staff assaults per 100 inmates – federal

A Correctional Officer will be seriously assaulted at least twice in a 20 year career.

 

praying for our jail and prison ministries

I appreciate multiple strong reactions to my blog concerning the violent death of a female officer around a chapel service on the Monroe Corrections Center grounds last Saturday night.  The media is all over this.  The governor called for an investigation.

We need to pray.

I learned the officer-inmate ratio standard at the Regional Justice Center is 1:64, one officer for every 64 inmates.  That means most of the units at the RJC are staffed by one officer.  Hallway ratio is 1:10, one officer for every 10 inmates as they are moved throughout the building.

We need to pray.  We need to continue to persevere joyfully.  We need to pray. We need to obey the rules in our facilities.  We need to be aware. We need to pray.

Just today, a news media site reported that for the first time since corrections officer Jayme Biendl was killed at her post at the Monroe Correctional Complex, officials today could lay out plans for changes at state prisons.

Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail told state lawmakers Thursday in Olympia that he hoped to announce “a few changes".

“I’m looking at some security improvements, not just at Monroe but statewide,” he said after appearing in front of the House General Government Appropriations Committee.

What perspectives might we gain from these events while we persevere and joyfully serve at the  facilities where the Lord Himself has called us?   Here are my beginning thoughts.  As I publish this, receive feedback, and continue to serve, the Lord will bring more to write about.

First, pray.

We need to pray for Byron S., the alleged killer, and the family of Jayme Biendl, the slain officer.  Oh, we need to pray on!  We need to pray around all the institutions where God has privileged us to serve.  We should be praying for the inmate population--that we might expand our faith to reach more and more for salvation, re-dedication, and comfort and strength for their families. 

We should also be praying for the officers, support staff, and multiple levels of administration as they do their jobs.

When we enter our facilities, the secured perimeter, we need to pray for the men and women we will contact for the Kingdom of God.  We need to pray in areas the Lord lays on your heart I didn't touch on here. Oh, that He would use us mightily! 

Second, obey the rules.

Rules and the spirit of the rules are outlined for our protection.  Since my initial days at the RJC, I felt safe within the units.  Maybe, no, simply a sense of being too safe.  There have been incidents of violence around me, that's part of being in a jail and prison ministry. While officers have always been attentive, they can't see everything.  Officers can't control the small percentage seeking to fight, harm others, or even try to commit suicide. The rules are set out for our protection.

Third, be aware.

Keep on serving where you are.  Know where you are.  We serve in jails and prisons and even transitional support ministries, not our homes, nor our churches.  We are in a very different culture with those being held for court procedures or serving time.  Inmates are in very different situations.  Some will receive Christ and be forever, eternally changed.  Some inmates mat be innocent of what they have been charged.  Some made mistakes, even several times, will change, and never re-offend.  Some will remain incarcerated their entire lives.  Some are dangerous and are not accurately placed for the safety of their surroundings.  Some are mentally imbalanced.