InnerChange Freedom Initiative
Encyclopedia
The InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) is an American Christian prison program operated by Prison Fellowship Ministries (PFM), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established by Chuck Colson.
, a prison in unincorporated
Fort Bend County, Texas
. Since then, other IFI programs opened at other prisons throughout the United States.
In 2003 the Americans United for Separation of Church and State
criticized the implementation of a state-funded IFI program in Iowa, accusing it of violating the United States Constitution
's separation of church and state provisions.
The 15-hour days of the participants are dominated by Christian beliefs. Many Bible study sessions are held. For instance the Alcoholics Anonymous
meetings directly refer to Jesus
instead of using the phrase "higher power." The program considers drug addiction to be a sin
instead of a disease
. The program tells prisoners that homosexuality
, masturbation
, and premarital sexual intercourse are sins that will draw people back into criminal behavior. The program cautions prisoners against using Dungeons & Dragons
, horoscope
s, and Ouija board
s. In order to graduate from IFI, one has to be employed for six months after he is released. Some IFI prisoners are involved in Habitat for Humanity projects.
's Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the IFI program in the Carol Vance Unit
in Fort Bend County, Texas
. The study considered the IFI participants and a control group. 177 prisoners participated in the IFI program, and 75 of those prisoners graduated. In order to graduate, a prisoner was required to continue participating in the program after his release, including complying with the employment requirement. The 102 prisoners who did not graduate either received early parole and did not finish, left the program, or were expelled from the program. The members of the IFI group who had their recidivism rates tracked were released from prison before September 1, 2000. PFM intended for the study to have a favorable result so that the study would assist PFM's efforts to receive federal funding.
The study concluded that the prisoners who graduated from the program had a recidivism rate of 8 percent. The study's control group had a recidivism rate of 20%. The overall State of Texas recidivism rate was 30%. According to the study, as a whole the group who participated in IFI had a higher likelihood of being rearrested than the control group, with 36% arrested within two years, while 35% of the control group was arrested within two years. 24% of all of the IFI participants were reimprisoned, while 20% of the control group was reimprisoned. The study did not track the employment statuses of members of the control group.
After the study, the Executive Branch of the Federal Government of the United States under President
George W. Bush
began to request federal funding for IFI programs from the United States Congress
.
Mark A.R. Kleiman, a University of California, Los Angeles
professor who studied crime, decided to study IFI. According to Kleiman, when first encountering the study, he stated that he thought "This is interesting. Those look like good recidivism numbers, and good recidivism numbers are hard to find." Upon examining the study, Kleiman concluded that IFI selected prisoners who were already motivated and disciplined and more likely to succeed to participate in the program. Kleiman said that the study "gives you this happy horseshit about the graduates, but if you look at the 'intent to treat,' it's a loser." Kleiman stated that he was not opposed to the IFI program, but that he was opposed to the study.
Kleiman posted an essay critical of the study and the pro-IFI interpretations from the study, "Faith-Based Fudging," at MSN.com. His study is also posted on the Slate
website. Kleiman criticized the promoters of the program, saying "Anything that selects out from a group of ex-inmates those who hold jobs is going to look like a miracle cure" and "The InnerChange cheerleaders simply ignored the other 102 participants who dropped out, were kicked out or got early parole and didn't finish. If you select out the winners, you leave mostly losers." Chuck Colson responded to Kleiman's article. Colson accused the article of being an attack against Bush and his promotion of faith-based programs. Scott Nowell of the Houston Press
said that "Colson didn't really address Kleiman's argument of selection bias."
Jerry Bryan, a chaplain who participated in the program, said that it would not be fair to consider the people who did not graduate the program in determining whether or not the program is a success. Bryan said "There's a pool of people who don't get anything. That shouldn't count against us. Many offenders volunteer for all the wrong reasons. The most prevalent is 'I'll get more visits.'" Nowell stated that "no one outside the Christian community is making much of an argument with Kleiman's position -- not even the study's author, Byron Johnson. Johnson has declined all media requests since Kleiman's story appeared."
The Houston Press asked Scott Phillips, a Rice University
assistant professor of sociology, to examine the Penn study. Phillips concluded that "Considering all participants, IFI does not reduce recidivism. Considering the graduates, IFI leads to a dramatic reduction in recidivism. Is it appropriate to just consider graduates? No." He added, "Even the most rigorous evaluation would probably conclude that IFI has real benefits for the small number of inmates who are both interested in the program and complete the program. But at this point it's impossible to be sure."
Nowell stated that the Christians involved in the IFI program in the Vance Unit support the program and do not regard the results of the study. Kleiman stated that the participants were "not trying to achieve statistical significance, they're interested in individual salvation." Responding to the point, Nowell said "The men who have stuck with InnerChange exhibit an air of calmness and stability not often found in those who've done time in Texas. And there even seems to be a marked difference between the prisoners who have just arrived at InnerChange and those who are about to leave."
The program was formerly available in Iowa
. The Iowa program was held at the Newton Correctional Facility
of the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Three programs were closed during the summer of 2011; Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas. Budget cuts with the parent organization, Prison Fellowship, were cited as the main reason.
History
In 1997 the IFI program was introduced to the Carol Vance UnitCarol Vance Unit
Carol S. Vance Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated central Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit, located in flatlands, is along U.S. Highway 90A, east of central Richmond. The facility is in proximity to Sugar Land, and it is about southwest of Downtown...
, a prison in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. Since then, other IFI programs opened at other prisons throughout the United States.
In 2003 the Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a group that advocates separation of church and state, a legal doctrine interpreted by AU as being enshrined in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.-Mission:The guiding principle of Americans...
criticized the implementation of a state-funded IFI program in Iowa, accusing it of violating the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
's separation of church and state provisions.
IFI program
A prisoner's participation in the IFI begins 24 to 18 months before his or her scheduled release. Phases one and two occur during the prisoner's incarceration; phase one concerns what the program refers to as the inmate's "personal values and thought processes and encourages the development of spiritual and moral filters." The program states that the second phase "tests the inmate's value system in real-life settings and prepares him/her for life after prison. Inmates may spend much of the day in off-site prison work programs or involved in the reentry portion of the IFI curriculum." After release, the prisoner participates in IFI programming for an additional 12 months, with volunteer mentors providing mentoring and support.The 15-hour days of the participants are dominated by Christian beliefs. Many Bible study sessions are held. For instance the Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
meetings directly refer to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
instead of using the phrase "higher power." The program considers drug addiction to be a sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
instead of a disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
. The program tells prisoners that homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
, and premarital sexual intercourse are sins that will draw people back into criminal behavior. The program cautions prisoners against using Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, horoscope
Horoscope
In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, the astrological aspects, and sensitive angles at the time of an event, such as the moment of a person's birth. The word horoscope is derived from Greek words meaning "a look at the hours" In...
s, and Ouija board
Ouija Board
Ouija Board is a Thoroughbred mare racehorse owned by Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby and trained by Ed Dunlop. In a career spanning four seasons, she won 10 of her 22 races, 7 of them Group 1s, including the Epsom Oaks in 2004 and the Hong Kong Vase in 2005...
s. In order to graduate from IFI, one has to be employed for six months after he is released. Some IFI prisoners are involved in Habitat for Humanity projects.
University of Pennsylvania study
PFM paid the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
's Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the IFI program in the Carol Vance Unit
Carol Vance Unit
Carol S. Vance Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated central Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit, located in flatlands, is along U.S. Highway 90A, east of central Richmond. The facility is in proximity to Sugar Land, and it is about southwest of Downtown...
in Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. The study considered the IFI participants and a control group. 177 prisoners participated in the IFI program, and 75 of those prisoners graduated. In order to graduate, a prisoner was required to continue participating in the program after his release, including complying with the employment requirement. The 102 prisoners who did not graduate either received early parole and did not finish, left the program, or were expelled from the program. The members of the IFI group who had their recidivism rates tracked were released from prison before September 1, 2000. PFM intended for the study to have a favorable result so that the study would assist PFM's efforts to receive federal funding.
The study concluded that the prisoners who graduated from the program had a recidivism rate of 8 percent. The study's control group had a recidivism rate of 20%. The overall State of Texas recidivism rate was 30%. According to the study, as a whole the group who participated in IFI had a higher likelihood of being rearrested than the control group, with 36% arrested within two years, while 35% of the control group was arrested within two years. 24% of all of the IFI participants were reimprisoned, while 20% of the control group was reimprisoned. The study did not track the employment statuses of members of the control group.
Interpretation of and reception to the study
After the study's release, many media outlets posted articles and editorials favorable to the program. A Wall Street Journal editorial criticized opponents of the program, saying that the critics were "turning a blind eye to science." The editorial stated "the positive findings about the InnerChange Freedom Initiative parallel more than 500 other studies showing that the "faith factor" often makes faith-based programs more effective than their purely secular counterparts."After the study, the Executive Branch of the Federal Government of the United States under President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
began to request federal funding for IFI programs from the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Mark A.R. Kleiman, a University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
professor who studied crime, decided to study IFI. According to Kleiman, when first encountering the study, he stated that he thought "This is interesting. Those look like good recidivism numbers, and good recidivism numbers are hard to find." Upon examining the study, Kleiman concluded that IFI selected prisoners who were already motivated and disciplined and more likely to succeed to participate in the program. Kleiman said that the study "gives you this happy horseshit about the graduates, but if you look at the 'intent to treat,' it's a loser." Kleiman stated that he was not opposed to the IFI program, but that he was opposed to the study.
Kleiman posted an essay critical of the study and the pro-IFI interpretations from the study, "Faith-Based Fudging," at MSN.com. His study is also posted on the Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
website. Kleiman criticized the promoters of the program, saying "Anything that selects out from a group of ex-inmates those who hold jobs is going to look like a miracle cure" and "The InnerChange cheerleaders simply ignored the other 102 participants who dropped out, were kicked out or got early parole and didn't finish. If you select out the winners, you leave mostly losers." Chuck Colson responded to Kleiman's article. Colson accused the article of being an attack against Bush and his promotion of faith-based programs. Scott Nowell of the Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
said that "Colson didn't really address Kleiman's argument of selection bias."
Jerry Bryan, a chaplain who participated in the program, said that it would not be fair to consider the people who did not graduate the program in determining whether or not the program is a success. Bryan said "There's a pool of people who don't get anything. That shouldn't count against us. Many offenders volunteer for all the wrong reasons. The most prevalent is 'I'll get more visits.'" Nowell stated that "no one outside the Christian community is making much of an argument with Kleiman's position -- not even the study's author, Byron Johnson. Johnson has declined all media requests since Kleiman's story appeared."
The Houston Press asked Scott Phillips, a Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
assistant professor of sociology, to examine the Penn study. Phillips concluded that "Considering all participants, IFI does not reduce recidivism. Considering the graduates, IFI leads to a dramatic reduction in recidivism. Is it appropriate to just consider graduates? No." He added, "Even the most rigorous evaluation would probably conclude that IFI has real benefits for the small number of inmates who are both interested in the program and complete the program. But at this point it's impossible to be sure."
Nowell stated that the Christians involved in the IFI program in the Vance Unit support the program and do not regard the results of the study. Kleiman stated that the participants were "not trying to achieve statistical significance, they're interested in individual salvation." Responding to the point, Nowell said "The men who have stuck with InnerChange exhibit an air of calmness and stability not often found in those who've done time in Texas. And there even seems to be a marked difference between the prisoners who have just arrived at InnerChange and those who are about to leave."
IFI programs by state
- ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
: Programs for men and women are in the Hawkins Unit of the Arkansas Department of Correction - KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
: The program (for men) is in the Lansing Correctional FacilityLansing Correctional FacilityLansing Correctional Facility is a state prison operated by the Kansas Department of Corrections located in Lansing, Kansas in Leavenworth County...
of the Kansas Department of Corrections - MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
: The program (for men) is in the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility of the Minnesota Department of Corrections - MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
: The program for men is in the Algoa Correctional Center and the program for women is in the Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional CenterWomen's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional CenterThe Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center is a prison in Vandalia, Missouri, in the United States. It is a part of the Missouri Department of Corrections....
. Both are of the Missouri Department of Corrections. - TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
: The program (for men) is in the Carol Vance UnitCarol Vance UnitCarol S. Vance Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated central Fort Bend County, Texas. The unit, located in flatlands, is along U.S. Highway 90A, east of central Richmond. The facility is in proximity to Sugar Land, and it is about southwest of Downtown...
of the Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
.
The program was formerly available in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. The Iowa program was held at the Newton Correctional Facility
Newton Correctional Facility
The Newton Correctional Facility is a low and medium security correctional institution of the Iowa Department of Corrections. It is located in unincorporated Jasper County, Iowa, near Newton...
of the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Three programs were closed during the summer of 2011; Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas. Budget cuts with the parent organization, Prison Fellowship, were cited as the main reason.
External links
- InnerChange Freedom Initiative
- "The InnerChange Freedom Initiative A Preliminary Evaluation of a Faith-Based Prison Program." - Center for Research on Urban and Civil Society
- "Graduates of Faith-Based Prison Program Less Likely to Return to Prison." Prison Fellowship Ministries
- "THE INNERCHANGE FREEDOM INITIATIVE (IFI) PRE-RELEASE PROGRAM." Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal JusticeThe Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
. - "Photo Essay - InnerChange Freedom Initiative." White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
- "The InnerChange Freedom Initiative." - Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion
- "Overview of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative: The Faith-Based Prison Program Within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice." Texas Legislative Budget Board, Criminal Justice Council. February 2002.
- Earlry, Mark and Jim Jonkowich. "The Story of Inner Change Freedom Initiative." Liberty MagazineLiberty MagazineLiberty is a magazine published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church that covers issues involving separation of church and state, and current events in politics...
.