A recent article in the Western Recorder reveals the dire need for chaplains to minister in prisons. In the piece, reporters Yonat Shimron & Adelle Banks do a good job of exposing the hole that results in the prison systems when chaplains are cut from the state budget.
It’s sad, but in tough economic times, the role of chaplain is getting caught in the budget cuts. And these budget reductions are happening across America. Take Texas, for instance. Justice Fellowship helped the state save the role of chaplains by urging volunteers to contact legislators and fight to maintain funding for prison chaplains during the budget negotiations.
In North Carolina, the state legislature approved significant cuts in funding to the prison chaplain program. Lawmakers assumed volunteer ministries would rush to the frontlines and help prisoners meet their faith needs. This hasn’t taken place.
Other states have adopted a policy of not replacing chaplains who die or retire. In California, where 130 prison chaplains currently minister, there are three dozen chaplain positions that remain unfilled.
One example of the issues that arise when there is no money in the state budget to replace these vacancies can be found in the California Men’s Colony, a prison in San Luis Obispo, where Jewish chaplain Lon Moskowitz is now handling the duties of the Muslim chaplain who recently died.
“Chaplains are the ones most likely to help inmates after riots, rapes and other traumatic incidents or to facilitate special requests,” says Pat Nolan, Vice President of Prison Fellowship and director of the Justice Fellowship program. “For the safety of the institution, it’s important that persons going through those horrible situations have someone to help them to defuse the situation. Otherwise, tension can get really high or out of control.”
Justice Fellowship urges volunteers to contact legislators and fight to maintain funding for prison chaplains. Unfortunately in North Carolina, the changes were implemented before there was a chance to challenge the budget cuts. “It was a done deal before we could mobilize anybody,” says Nolan.
Be sure your church has volunteers ministering in the prisons. Go here for information on how you and your church can get involved in prison ministry.