Print Issue: August 22, 2002

Training Program Seeks To Connect Parishes With Ex-Offenders

ATLANTA - Catholic Social Services Inc. One Church, One Inmate Program seeks to train Catholic and other faith-based groups how to help transition recently released ex-offenders from the criminal justice system into society. In almost three years since the program's inception it has grown to include 27 churches representing six denominations.

Another program under the OCOI umbrella is funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. Entitled Justice Educators, this program works with ex-offenders that have been out of the system for more than five years and trains them in public speaking and advocacy. They then go to churches to give their testimony and share avenues of criminal justice advocacy with church groups.

Interested churches are encouraged to recruit three to five volunteers from their communities to form a One Church One Inmate team and participate in two days of intensive training before they are matched with an inmate. Then for the next three to six months, prior to the inmate's release from prison, they establish an ongoing relationship. Upon the ex-offender's release the team commits to work with that person via referrals for up to one year in the areas of job placement, housing, basic needs, spiritual growth and emotional health.

The next training series will be Sept. 7, which will be spiritual mentoring, followed by Pardons, Paroles and Corrections on Oct. 26. For more information call Bertha Booth, OCOI special programs manager, at (404) 885-7453, or Wanda Edwards, OCOI program coordinator, at (404) 885-7448.