In an unprecedented move, the Florida Department of Corrections has created a faith-based residential program within a major correctional institution, Tomoka CI, supervised by Warden Ronald Tadlock. This initiative is the first such model program in a maximum security prison in the United States.

The primary purposes of this project are to help inmates learn personal and parental responsibility and to reduce violence inside prisons. Both the Corrections Department program and security staff are involved in the project with a broad base of community volunteers.

Inmates and Volunteers of the Kairos New Horizon Residential program at Tomoka Correctional Institution

The effort is entitled the Kairos Horizon Project. In the endeavor, the major partners with the department are: The Commission on Responsible Fatherhood/Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida; The Foundation for Partnerships in Correctional Excellence (the non-profit support organization for the Florida Department of Corrections); and Kairos Prison Ministry . Kairos Prison Ministry is an international Christian ministry established in Florida in 1976 with over 12,000 volunteers which has been active at Tomoka CI for 16 years. In 1997, Kairos established the first faith-based model in a medium security prison in England.

For the initial phase, the department selected 64 inmates from a field of more than 200 volunteers at Tomoka CI. Forty-seven of these offenders are incarcerated fathers. The Daytona Beach mixed security prison is home to nearly 900 prisoners.

In early November 1999, inmates moved to a designated dormitory. These inmates still work at their prison jobs and eat meals with the general population, but evenings and weekends are devoted to a rigorous schedule of study and group activity. Inmates get no perks for participating--no gain time and no scoring points with the parole board. They must adhere to a strict code of conduct that renounces behavior like viewing pornography, bullying, swearing, and smoking.

"Most inmates return to society. Emotional, social, cognitive, cultural and spiritual development is essential for successful re-entry," says Department of Corrections Chaplain Alex Taylor.

"We are looking for progress in growth and responsibility, especially responsible parenting. We are not seeking conversion to any particular religious faith," said Taylor, the new chief chaplain for Florida's inmates. "It does not matter how an inmate sees God, as long as he sees God."

"Inmate participation is voluntary and provision is made for inmates of any or no faith. We are hoping to acquaint each inmate with an inner source of strength on which he can draw." Taylor added.

The stated purpose of Kairos Ministries is to unite corrections, the community and churches to sustain a change of heart or inner transformation of inmates and prepare them to live with others in mutual support, trust and respect.

"In 1994 in Jerusalem, 19 countries held an international conference on the role of religion in crime prevention and rehabilitation," said Ike Griffin, executive director of Kairos. "The result was a unanimous agreement in the findings of every one of the 19 countries represented. Research shows that a spiritual experience, sufficient to bring about a change in personality, is the only thing that has any long lasting positive affect on reducing recidivism," Griffin stated.

"A central project aim is to address the significant issue of the parental responsibility of incarcerated fathers," said Hugh MacMillan, director of the Foundation for Partnerships in Correctional Excellence." "The Commission on Responsible Fatherhood is providing funding support for this innovative effort to change a dangerous and expensive problem affecting thousands of children. Ways of being do not disappear until replaced by other ways of being. Through education, inmates can become responsible parents, establish positive interaction with their children, and enhance their ability for a successful transition once they leave prison."

"What is required is a change of a heart," said Mickey Bright Griffin, an Orlando woman who is recruiting church members from several denominations in the Central Florida area to minister to the incarcerated. "When you change a person's heart, he cannot rape and steal from his neighbor."

A key component of the program is an emphasis on anger management, addressed in weekly workshops and in daily living. The program aims to reduce violence inside prisons, and reduce the level of danger for both offenders and staff.

Key legislators and corrections staff visited the Inner Change Program, a faith-based residential program at a prison in Sugarland, Texas two years ago. "We've got men with criminal histories that would raise the hair on the back of your neck, yet the transformation you witness in these men is extraordinary," Texas Warden Fred Becker said.

It's a transformation State Representative Allen Trovillion has seen, and it was enough to convince the Winter Park Republican and chairman of the House Corrections Committee to support the establishment of similar programs in Florida. Trovillion was responsible for legislation authorizing and encouraging faith-based programs.

"People think once we put someone in prison, they're gone," Trovillion said. "But most of these people are coming back out. And we need to give them some hope." Critical to the long term success of the program is the involvement of the volunteer community outside prison walls.

Outside Coordinator Mickey Griffin is responsible for recruitment and training of volunteers who act as mentors, teachers, presenters and facilitators for the program. Additionally, volunteers are important to released inmates who wish to continue living changed lives. Inside coordinator Paul Dolese, a minister and certified therapist works with the inmate community and prison staff to coordinate the project inside the prison. The chaplain at Tomoka CI, Pat Donaldson also provides key leadership.

The program is based on principles from the Christian tradition, but is open to inmates of every faith. The curriculum focuses on anger, relationships, parenting, communications, victim awareness, intolerance and other issues. Programs are offered several evenings a week and on alternating Saturdays. The men live in a separate dorm but continue to take meals and work as a part of the general population.

One of the most effective aspects of this program is the Godparent Visitation Program. Each inmate participant is assigned a Godparent volunteer from a local church. This person visits the inmate one night a week for six months. Many men in prison have never had a visitor, particularly one willing to listen. One inmate in England said after three months into the program, "This is the first time anyone has ever really listened to me."

Recidivism studies indicate that on-going participation in programs provided by faith communities is the critical element to reduce re-offenses. The Kairos community in England started a faith-based model in 1997. Results exceeded everyone's expectations. Kairos spread to three other prisons in the United Kingdom and has been invited to Ireland by prison officials.

DC Chaplain Taylor said, "What this program is reaching for is a genuine life change that will set these men on a restored life course. This is a great expectation. How can a program deliver a commitment to integrity, self-discipline, charity, or the principles of good citizenship and good parenting? This Department is convinced that using faith-based people to provide faith-based programs is key to transformation."

The Department of Corrections is committed to deliver five faith-based residential programs over the next five years.