Recent from talks
InnerChange Freedom Initiative
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
InnerChange Freedom Initiative
The InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) was an American Christian prison program operated by Prison Fellowship International (PFI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established by Chuck Colson. The program was closed in 2016.
In 1997 the IFI program was introduced to the Carol Vance Unit, 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 program was closed in 2016.
A prisoner's participation in the IFI began 24 to 18 months before his or her scheduled release. Phases one and two occurred during the prisoner's incarceration; phase one concerned what the program referred to as the inmate's "personal values and thought processes and encourages the development of spiritual and moral filters." The program stated 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 participated in IFI programming for an additional 12 months, with volunteer mentors providing mentoring and support.
The 15-hour days of the participants were dominated by Christian beliefs. Many Bible study sessions were held. For instance the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings directly referred to Jesus instead of using the phrase "higher power." The program considered drug addiction to be a sin instead of a disease. The program told prisoners that homosexuality, masturbation, and premarital sexual intercourse were sins. In order to graduate from IFI, one had to be employed for six months after he was released, as well as meet with a trained local mentor, and attend a pro-social group. Some IFI prisoners were involved in Habitat for Humanity projects.
PFI paid the University of Pennsylvania'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. PFI intended for the study to have a favorable result so that the study would assist PFI'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.
Hub AI
InnerChange Freedom Initiative AI simulator
(@InnerChange Freedom Initiative_simulator)
InnerChange Freedom Initiative
The InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) was an American Christian prison program operated by Prison Fellowship International (PFI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established by Chuck Colson. The program was closed in 2016.
In 1997 the IFI program was introduced to the Carol Vance Unit, 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 program was closed in 2016.
A prisoner's participation in the IFI began 24 to 18 months before his or her scheduled release. Phases one and two occurred during the prisoner's incarceration; phase one concerned what the program referred to as the inmate's "personal values and thought processes and encourages the development of spiritual and moral filters." The program stated 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 participated in IFI programming for an additional 12 months, with volunteer mentors providing mentoring and support.
The 15-hour days of the participants were dominated by Christian beliefs. Many Bible study sessions were held. For instance the Alcoholics Anonymous meetings directly referred to Jesus instead of using the phrase "higher power." The program considered drug addiction to be a sin instead of a disease. The program told prisoners that homosexuality, masturbation, and premarital sexual intercourse were sins. In order to graduate from IFI, one had to be employed for six months after he was released, as well as meet with a trained local mentor, and attend a pro-social group. Some IFI prisoners were involved in Habitat for Humanity projects.
PFI paid the University of Pennsylvania'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. PFI intended for the study to have a favorable result so that the study would assist PFI'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.