New Direction Ministry -
Statement of Need
Recidivism of inmates in our
society has placed a tremendous
burden not only on
the victims of the offenders,
but on the economy and all
citizens as well. When these
male former offenders are
released from prison, many of
them lack the social skills, job
skills or self worth to become
productive citizens. The
financial cost of crime extends
far beyond the expense of
housing an increasing number of
inmates. The
True-Lite Christian Fellowship
Church congregation’s
passion to find a solution to
this dilemma has been driven by
our hands-on involvement with
inmates from prisons located in
Big Spring, Lamesa, Colorado
City and Fort Stockton and by
statistics confirming our
beliefs of the magnitude of this
problem.
Of the 272,111 persons
released from prisons in 15
states in 1994, an estimated
67.5% were rearrested for a
felony or serious misdemeanor
within 3 years, 46.9% were
reconvicted, and 25.4%
re-sentenced to prison for a new
crime. The 272,111 offenders
discharged in 1994 had
accumulated 4.1 million arrest
charges before their most recent
imprisonment and another 744,000
charges within 3 years of
release.
Released prisoners with the
highest re-arrest rates were
robbers (70.2%), burglars
(74.0%), larcenists (74.6%),
motor vehicle thieves (78.8%),
those in prison for possessing
or selling stolen property
(77.4%), and those in prison for
possessing, using, or selling
illegal weapons (70.2%).
The total cost of incarceration
annually reaches over $34
billion and does not include the
financial burden placed on
society by the welfare cost of
supporting the families left
behind.
Eighty percent (80%) of
crimes committed in the United
States this year will be
committed by individuals who
were previously incarcerated.
Ninety-five percent (95%) of all
people who are currently
incarcerated will be released in
the next three (3) years. Of
those released, eighty-five
(85%) will commit another crime
within three (3) years of being
released.
Ninety-five percent (95%) of all
current offenders will return to
our communities ill equipped to
function in the free world. The
offender’s loneliness will have
increased, he will have been
taught to mistrust everyone and
to consider only himself, a lack
of self-esteem will have been
reinforced, and little will have
been done to improve poor
interpersonal skills.
The need for this facility is
long overdue. The True-Lite
Christian Fellowship Church is
engaging in this project because
it transcends being just the
right thing to do-it is fed to
us by love for our fellow man,
even those who have lost their
way. With the present prison
population increasing at a rate
of more than ten times that of
the general population, and the
fact that more than 10,000,000
people will be processed at some
juncture of the criminal justice
system during this calendar
year, it is quite evident that
the problem not only exists, but
also is compounding. Thus, the
need for this facility is
tremendous. The New Direction
Ministry and facility is not
duplicating any currently
available services, as there are
no other facilities with this
mission in the West Texas
region. |
