[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11193-11194]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           PRISON FELLOWSHIP

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the Federal activist courts have dealt yet 
another blow to religious freedom in America. Earlier this month a 
Federal district court ruled that a faith-based prisoner rehabilitation 
program in an Iowa prison be shut down. The court ruled that the 
program sponsored by Prison Fellowship goes too far in blending church 
and state.
  But consider the facts. The program is completely voluntary. The 
prisoners can opt out of it at any time. It is open to persons of all 
faiths or no faith, and prisoners are not required to assimilate into 
any certain faith in order to graduate into the program.
  Mr. Speaker, this is sad news for those who wish to see prisoners 
undergo real change and rehabilitation. This program works. Their 
recidivism rate is only 8 percent for their graduates compared to about 
80 percent for the prison system.
  Having worked with Prison Fellowship since its founding 30 years ago, 
I can personally attest to the tremendous life-changing success it has 
had in our Nation's prisons for many, many prisoners. This ruling seeks 
to stop a very successful program of change or renewal. For the sake of 
our prison population, I hope it is overturned.

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