Parish Ministries on the Rise

August 9, 2000

Source: The Times-Picayune

On August 9, 2000, The Times-Picayune reported that as "jail and prison rolls grow, local and state governments are turning to faith-based prison ministries as an alternative to reform criminals and reduce recidivism. And that means an increase in the spiritual load for prison ministries, including the one at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, which employs two full-time ministers for nearly 700 inmates...'The research is there that it can make a difference,' said Jannitta Antoine, deputy secretary for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Antoine is closely watching a similar program in Texas. 'We are looking at prevention and early intervention,' she said." The Rev. Kathy Radke, a prison minister, commented that, "I am fighting crime from the inside out. Once (inmates) receive Christ, they become model prisoners. God wipes the slate clean."