Glynn Jones challenges us to get involved with the mission field in UK prisons
The facts of hopelessness for those in prison are stark.
Consider, for a moment, some of the findings from the Bromley Briefing, produced by the Prison Reform Trust:1
1. On 17 June 2016, the prison population in England and Wales was 84,405.2 Since 1993 the prison population has increased by more than 41,000 people, a 92% rise.
2. 290 people died in prison in the 12 months to March 2016, the highest number on record. Over a third of these deaths were self-inflicted.3
3. The prison system as a whole has been overcrowded in every year since 1994.4 At the end of May 2016, 74 of the 118 prisons in England and Wales were overcrowded.5
4. Foreign nationals (non-UK passport holders) currently make up 12% of the prison population in England and Wales. On 31 March 2016 there were 9,971 foreign nationals in prison.6
This handful of disturbing facts reveal a continuing trend in overcrowding, violence and alienation in UK prisons. Furthermore, we cannot be sure that former Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor Michael Gove’s initiatives of ‘Reform, Rehabilitation and Redemption’ will be fully carried through by his successor, who has been reported in the press as the co-writer of a book calling for prisons to be made ‘tough, unpleasant and uncomfortable’ places of punishment.7 It is for these reasons that Christians must be active and high-profile in this mission field on our doorstep.
A view from the inside
Having worked full-time in prisons for 39 years, in nine separate jails of varying security, age and gender categories, I can safely say that I have witnessed most of the challenges and changes over that time. While the picture remains bleak, there are pockets of good work carried out by highly motivated individuals – not least of which are prison staff across the whole range of rank and grade. Managing Chaplains and their teams have an equal obligation to support staff as well as prisoners: they need to hear the gospel too! Speaking at a prayer meeting during the recent Keswick Convention, I adapted a finding of academic research,8 offering a picture of prisoners who attend chapel and chaplaincy activities under the acronym of S.C.O.R.E.D.
There are the Seekers. Those who know that they have not been satisfied by anything they have tried so far, and are now seeking to fill that void with something else, but they know not what. ‘Billy’ was one of these. Indeed, he was quite a professional Seeker. He had been through the lot: observed Ramadan with the Muslims; taken part in the Summer Solstice with the Pagans; sat in on the Jehovah's Witness class … and when I left that particular prison he was ‘having a dabble’ in Christianity!
Then there are Converts. ‘Johnny’ was a convert. He had made a profession of faith during an Alpha Course. It didn’t last. Failing to obtain suitable mentoring and a church with a spirit of discipleship, Johnny soon went back to what he knew best, and joined the 60% of prisoners who received less than a 12-month sentence who are re-convicted within a year.9 Whatever the rhetoric about ‘mass prison conversions’, Johnny’s story is typical of my experience; most of those who make a profession of faith in prison do not continue to grow in Christ after release.
Alongside these are Opportunists. These are the prisoners who do not openly claim to believe, but simply feel safe in the environment of Christian believers. ‘Rob’ was one of these. He spoke of the value of being able to escape from the environment of coarse language and violence on his unit and enjoy the peace of being within a Christian group. Rob had no interest in tapping into this peace for himself, he was simply taking the opportunity to rest in it. However, the Lord had different plans! So influenced was Rob by the Spirit of God which he found in the chapel, he did indeed come to Christ in a marvellous way, and is still going strong with the Lord in a local church four years after his release.
Also there are Returners. Some prisoners come in after having had a faith, but have now backslidden. ‘Roger’, an intelligent former senior policeman, had been in an evangelical church for many years. However, he had fallen a long way after being attracted by worldliness and, in his own words, had ‘given up on his faith’. The Lord, however, had not given up on Roger! Through the letter-writing ministry of Christians, Roger returned to his faith and saw afresh where his hope and assurance lay.
And then we have the Engineers! Those who have effectively learned the language of believers and manipulate the system. The imaginary ‘Big Brendan’, for example, who comes to visit the chaplain and blurts out a well-rehearsed: ‘Reverend … me ’eart ’as bin strangely warmed … and I’ve given me life to ’im … I’m gonna go straight from now on (long pause), D.V! (shorter pause) by the way, it’s me parole ’earing tomorra … will you come along and tell ’em of me faith?’ !
And finally, there are the Devout. There are men and women in our prisons who know and trust the Lord with all their hearts. They knew it and practised it before they committed their offence … and they know it now that they are in custody. At some point they made a mistake and are now paying the inevitable consequences. However, these men can be a great witness to other prisoners to a God of both judgment and mercy.
Who shall I send?
There are a number of good Christian organisations working collaboratively to support the prison mission field. Daylight Christian Prison Trust is one example. Daylight supports the work of prison chaplains and has three objectives:
1. To proclaim the Word of Christ to prisoners.
2. To disciple those who have come to Christ in prison, or were Christians when they came in, seeking their restoration.
3. To help prisoners Daylight has come to know whilst inside, when they are released, to re-establish their lives and to settle them into a local, Bible-believing church.
Is it you?
As with all mission endeavours, these are nothing unless undergirded with prayer. This October is Prisons Week 2016, an initiative started in 1975. Prisons Week raises awareness and generates prayer. It motivates volunteers to step forward and give their time and gifts, in prisons and in their own communities. It provides an annual focus and reason for Christians to work together, building capacity and motivation to make a difference for people who are out of sight and often out of mind. Prisons Week invites you to pray the following:
Lord, you offer freedom to all people. We pray for those in prison. Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist. Support with your love prisoners and their families and friends, prison staff and all who care. Heal those who have been wounded by the activities of others, espe- cially the victims of crime. Help us to forgive one another, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly together with Christ in his strength and in his Spirit, now and every day. Amen.
After committing to prayer, you may feel called to engage in a prison mission-field activity. Daylight provides vetting and training for its volunteers to:
a) Take part in a safe and structured letter-writing programme to prisoners who may otherwise be totally isolated from the outside world.
b) Visit individual prisoners who have expressed a desire to meet regularly with a Christian.
c) Present Christianity Explored – Prison Edition and other courses to groups of prisoners.
d) Organise prayer and support groups in the local community.
Further information about Daylight and other Christian prison organisations is available through www.daylightcpt.org
Glynn Jones is the Regional Director (North) of the Daylight Christian Prison Trust.
FOOTNOTES
1 Prison Reform Trust. Bromley Briefing Summer 2016. 2 Ministry of Justice. Population and capacity briefing for Friday 17 June 2016. 3 Ministry of Justice. Safety in custody statistics quarterly update to December 2015 4 Home Office. Digest 4: Information on the criminal justice system in England and Wales 5 Ministry of Justice. Monthly population bulletin May 2016 6 Ministry of Justice. Offender management statistics quarterly: October to December 2015 7 The Guardian. 19 July 2016 8 Andrew Todd and Lee Tipton. The Role and Contribution of a Multi-Faith Chaplaincy to the Contemporary Prison Service 9 Ministry of Justice. Proven reoffending statistics quarterly: July 2013 to June 2014
