Prison Fellowship

  • DONATE
    • One-Time
    • Monthly
    • Angel Tree
    • Other Ways to Give
  • GET INVOLVED
    • All Options
    • Subscribe
    • Angel Tree Christmas
    • Start a Fundraiser
    • Pray With Us
    • Justice Action Center
    • Share on Social
Search
  • STORIES
    • Stories
    • Blog
    • Videos
    • The Restoration Series [Videos]
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Why Help Prisoners?
    • What We Do
    • In-Prison
      • Prison Fellowship Academy
      • In-Prison Programs
      • Hope Events
      • Inside Journal
      • Women’s Ministry
      • Create: New Beginnings
    • Angel Tree
      • Register your church or group for Angel Tree
      • Prison Fellowship Angel Tree
      • Angel Tree Christmas
      • Angel Tree Camping
      • Angel Tree Sports Camp
    • Justice Reform
      • Justice Reform
      • Second Chance Month
      • News & Updates
      • Sign the Justice Declaration
      • Get a Copy of Outrageous Justice
    • Warden Exchange
    • Church Partners
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • Preparing Prisoners for Reentry
    • Research and Evaluation
      • Good Citizenship Model®
  • RESOURCES
    • Subscribe to Our Email
    • Support for Friends and Family of Prisoners
      • Resources for Friends and Family of Prisoners
      • Coping with Incarceration
      • Resources for Prisoners
      • Resources for Children of Prisoners
      • Supporting Successful Prisoner Reentry
      • Subscribe To The Hope Connection
    • Resources for Churches and Volunteers
      • Resources for Churches and Volunteers
      • In-Prison Ministry
      • Reentry Ministry
      • Family Ministry
      • Justice Reform
      • Mentoring Ministry
    • Angel Tree Coordinator Training
    • Resources for Chaplains
    • Resources for D.O.C.
    • Justice Reform Resources
    • Create: New Beginnings Book
    • Share on Social
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Beliefs
    • Mission & Vision
    • Financials
      • Financials
      • 2024 Annual Report
    • Employment
    • Contact Us
    • In The News
    • Leadership
    • Chuck Colson
      • About Chuck Colson
      • The Charles Colson Hope Awards

Confronting Criminogenic Needs: Addressing Prison Mentality

October 17, 2018 by Emily Harris Greene

Benny was caught in a cycle of recidivism and shame—until he found the Academy.

"The first time I went to prison, it was kind of a slap on the hand," Benny Do muses. "It was a joke—I didn't treat it with the seriousness of it. And when I left prison, I still had the same mentality that I did [before]. I came back to prison eight months later."

Benny is now serving his third stint behind bars. He's been actively involved in the Church off and on, in and out of prison. "I left prison [the first time] on fire for Christ," he says. "I stayed out for two years, but without accountability and friendship, things like that, I slowly slipped back into sin … and then it eventually snowballed."

So, what makes this time different for Benny? The Prison Fellowship Academy® at the Carol S. Vance Unit in Texas.

'What makes Academy different is that we're able to put down all the prison mentality, and we can focus on God [and] on the things we need to get ready for the outside.'

HOW THE PRISON FELLOWSHIP ACADEMY ADDRESSES PRISON MENTALITY

"When I first came [to Carol Vance], everyone I talked to talked about Christ," Benny says. "That was something totally different than I've ever seen at any other unit."

Located in select prisons across the country, the Academy takes incarcerated men and women through an intensive, long-term program using biblical curriculum and evidence-based practices, where they. Academy participants learn from Prison Fellowship® staff and volunteers to lead lives of purpose and productivity inside and outside of prison. Using proven approaches and Christ-centered resources, the Academy guides participants to identify life-controlling issues and take responsibility for the negative impact of their behavior on their community.

The Academy targets criminal thinking and behavior, life skills, addictions, victim impact, and prosocial culture change. By targeting these criminogenic needs—a phrase that refers to major risk factors highly associated with criminal conduct—the Academy addresses many of the issues and risk factors that contribute to recidivism. The Academy promotes pro-social thinking and behavior with its six core values of good citizenship: responsibility, integrity, restoration, community, productivity, and affirmation.

"What makes the Prison Fellowship Academy different from any other unit is that we're able to put down all the prison mentality, the gangs, the sex, the drugs, the alcohol—the whole macho attitude that people have," Benny explains, "and we can focus on God, to be with like-minded people. And we can start focusing on the things we need to get ready—ourselves, our issues that we have—to get ready for the outside."

GUIDANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Incarcerated men and women who complete the Academy program and are preparing for release have the opportunity to connect to post-release resources and support in metropolitan areas—a lifeline Benny recognizes as key to his own rehabilitation.

"The Prison Fellowship Academy has given me many skills," he says, but "mainly, it gave me contacts and a network of people, and that's the reason I came to Prison Fellowship. The reason I fell back last time was because of the lack of accountability and other [like-minded] people who … knew what I was going through."

"I came to Prison Fellowship for the [guidance], for the classes, but mainly for the accountability."

In two years, Benny will be eligible for release. In the meantime, as a member of the Academy, he plans to put his skills and education to use by being a positive peer mentor and supporting constructive culture throughout his unit.

"For anybody thinking about joining [the Academy], I'd definitely promote it," Benny says. "You should join, and see what God has for you."

Story Disclaimer
Prison Fellowship is founded on the conviction that all people are created in God's image and that no life is beyond God's reach. To that end, we often share stories of lives that have been impacted by our work in prisons around the country. Prison Fellowship does not condone – or require full disclosure of - the crimes committed by those enrolled in our programs, and we take the repercussions of those crimes seriously. It is our sincere goal to present our content in a way that is sensitive to all concerned parties, while presenting examples of men and women who once broke the law, and are now being transformed and mobilized to serve their neighbors. If you have concerns about the content we share, please feel free to contact us directly.

OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE

FROM LONER TO LEADER: HOW PRISON FELLOWSHIP ACADEMY RESTORES LIVES
From loners to leaders, gangs to community, Prison Fellowship Academy transforms the culture behind bars.

MEETING GOD IN JAIL: HOW SHANE FOUND REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION
'God, if You're real and You can change my life, come change me.'

DID YOU ENJOY THIS ARTICLE?

Make sure you don' t miss out on any of our helpful articles and incredible transformation stories! Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter, and you' ll get great content delivered directly to your inbox.

Your privacy is safe with us. We will never sell, trade, or share your personal information.

Filed Under: Prison & Prisoners, Prison Fellowship Academy, Prison Fellowship News & Updates, Video Tagged With: Carol S. Vance Unit, Texas

SELECT A TOPIC

  • Advocacy & Reentry
  • Angel Tree
  • Families of Prisoners
  • Feature Stories
  • From the CEO
  • Hope Events
  • Inside Journal
  • Press Releases
  • Prison & Prisoners
  • Prison Fellowship Academy
  • Prison Fellowship International
  • Prison Fellowship News & Updates
  • Reentry
  • Second Chance Month
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Warden Exchange

MOST POPULAR

The California Prison Where Hope is Alive and Well

April 9, 2025

My Story: Tynecia

April 9, 2025

The Pastor Who Got a Second Chance

April 2, 2025

LATEST VIDEOS

WATCH ALL VIDEOS

Join our online community

Facebook Facebook X (Twitter) X (Twitter) Instagram Instagram YouTube YouTube LinkedIn LinkedIn
PF®
PFM®

RECOMMENDED LINKS

  • Ways to Donate
  • Inspirational Stories
  • Angel Tree
  • Prison Fellowship Academy
  • Justice Reform

RESOURCES

  • For Families & Friends of Prisoners
  • For Churches & Angel Tree Volunteers
  • Warden Exchange

JOIN RESTORATION PARTNERS AND WITNESS GOD RESTORE LIVES

Restoration Partners give monthly to bring life-changing prison ministry programs to incarcerated men and women across the country.

 

JOIN NOW
  • CONTACT US
  • EMPLOYMENT
  • PRIVACY
  • FINANCIALS
© 2025 PRISON FELLOWSHIP®

Angel Tree®, Angel Tree Camping®, Angel Tree Sports CampTM, and Warden Exchange® are programs of Prison Fellowship®.