| Church Links Prisoners With Families
For a number of young children in Brockton, MA, seeing their
fathers was a scary thing. Their fathers were incarcerated,
and the family visits to the prison were traumatic.
Traditional ministry work with offenders involves counseling
and reentry preparation, but the problems involved with family
reunification are often overlooked. So, the Reverend Eugene
Neville, pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, teamed up with
Weed and Seed, the District Attorney's Office, and the
state parole office to create a program that would help these
families.
In trying to think outside the box, Reverend Neville turned
to the Polycom Corporation for help in video conferencing.
Polycom donated video conferencing units, which the church
uses to enable children to be in touch with their fathers while
in a positive setting and to help smooth the transition home.
The Weed and Seed site, which had set aside funding for reentry
programming, helped the church coordinate with the prison and
also hired a part-time case manager to work with inmates. Heather
Thomson, the site coordinator, said they helped bring the key
stakeholders to the table.
"We're building these bridges because we're
working on the same thing," she said. "We're
thinking, 'How can we all help each other out?'"
| "We have to be
committed, because we're dealing with people's
lives," Reverend Neville said. |
|
The case manager uses the video conferencing units to more
efficiently work with offenders on issues such as job training,
education, anger management, housing, and mental health and
substance abuse counseling. Church volunteers also work with
offenders on some of these issues and provide spiritual counseling
as well.
The case manager and volunteers tell the inmates and their
families which services are available in the community, and
the church works with the local YMCA to offer children more
activities. When an offender is released from prison, the family
meets the offender in the church and they all celebrate the
homecoming.
This pilot project, which began in October 2004, handles 10
cases. Two offenders have already returned to prison because
of substance abuse problems, but Reverend Neville cautions
that it takes time to build relationships. One offender has "turned
his life around," Reverend Neville said, and other participants
in the program have changed their attitudes and are responding
positively to the program now that they see that someone cares
about them.
"When they saw us reach out to their families, that
meant something," Reverend Neville said.
The church has built a better relationship with the parole
office through its work on home visits with ex-offenders. Thomson
explained that when the volunteers and case manager accompany
parole officers on their ride-alongs, the visit becomes less
of a curfew check and more of a chance to fill a counseling
need. Thomson believes the project also softens the image of
the parole office and fosters better communication among all
parties.
Reverend Neville is working to expand the video link program
to other churches. He sees the practical side of establishing
relationships with technology companies that are looking to
get rid of their old equipment, and the more spiritual side
of getting corporations to understand how they can help the
community.
The church, Weed and Seed site, sheriff's office, and
parole office continue to discuss the status of the program
and ideas for expanding it, such as discussing the need for
housing for ex-offenders. They also are looking at new income
streams so they can continue this work. Their dedication is
clear.
"We have to be committed, because we're dealing with people's
lives," Reverend Neville said.
For further information, contact:
Heather Thomson
508-894-2576
Reverend Eugene Neville
508-588-0833, ext. 101
|
