When someone leaving prison has an outside support system in place, the chances are greater that the person won’t end up back behind bars. Too often, however, people who are released from prison don’t have the kind of support and guidance they need to get them through the difficult journey of successful reentry back into the community.
The Governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson is calling on leaders from all faiths in his state to step up and join together to slash recidivism. Hutchinson announced that August 25-26,at the Little Rock Marriott, he is presenting “The Governor’s Restore Hope Summit: A Call to Action for Faith Leaders on Foster Care and Prison Re-Entry,” with the first day focusing on reentry, and the second day devoted to foster care, which is often where children of incarcerated parents end up.
In an interview about the summit published in the Arkasans Catholic Tom Navin, Diocese of Little Rock director of social action and prison ministry and a participant in the summit, stated:
“What is key for inmates upon their return to society is a strong mentor who can help them adjust to prevent them from being a part of the 42 percent that are sent back to prison within three years.” Navin added, “This concept of churches adopting an inmate will be discussed at the summit. As an example, a pastor can suggest to a group of parishioners or a faith group about visiting a prisoner who has been sent to a pre-release unit. The biggest support is going to be moral.”
Read more about the Faith Summit as reported by the Arkansas Catholic here
|
|
|
|
