The Right Separation?

What would you say if a program existed that helped improve recividism rates for prisoners dramatically, was validated by peer-reviewed studies, and was partially funded by private parties to make it even more attractive for cash-strapped states? Sounds like a great thing, considering the financial crunches of many state budgets. Even better, considering the physical crunches of housing too many prisoners, releasing them only to see many rebound because they didn't learn how to properly cope with life in the first place.

Then what would you say if a judge threw out this program and ordered the sponsers to pay back money received in a legal contract, because of erronous views of how the program worked and who sponsered it? Sounds like a bad idea, right?

That is what is going on with the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) in the state of Iowa. Sponsered by Prison Fellowship (see link on right), this program has remarkable rates of success. However, the judge ruled that it violated the separation of church and state, even though it is a voluntary program to participate in for the prisoners. Worse, the judge went on to characterize evangelicals in broad catagories as almost cultish.

Prison Fellowship has filed an appeal, and oral arguments in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals are scheduled for tomorrow, February 13th. I would encourage you to read more about this here and here, and keep the lawyers and judges in prayer tomorrow. IFI is an opportunity to reach the lowest of society with the gospel, while also helping reduce crime and society burden. How the judge could see this as a bad thing is mind-boggling, but the beauty of our freedom is there are checks and balances. Let's pray for true justice, and that the IFI program can spread to touch more broken lives with true healing.