Prison Ministry Degrees & College Programs

Education for criminals, inside or outside prison, is a winner all around and one hopes to see these types of programs, reported by USA Today, expanded

An excerpt.

“Several religiously based schools offer educational programs in prison.

“Liberty University in Virginia, New York Theological Seminary and Mercy College are among them, according to Mark Early, president of Prison Fellowship, a national prison ministry.

“Columbia International University, a conservative Christian school, operates a degree program in South Carolina, graduating 15 inmates in December. At New York's Sing Sing Prison, more than 100 convicts have completed the Mercy College program, Early said. Forty-five have been released and haven't returned to prison.

"This is very effective," he said.

“At the Parchman graduation, inmates draped caps and gowns over black-and-white prison stripes. The nearly two-hour commencement ceremony at the sprawling Mississippi Delta prison included guitar-heavy renditions of "Amazing Grace" and "Knocking on Heaven's Door," performed by the prison gospel band, L.I.F.E, an acronym for Living in Fellowship Everyday with God.

"Thank you for giving us the crimes that we committed," Thomas C. Smith prayed. "That we might be agents of change right here in this prison."

“Among the graduates was Jerry Mettetal who entered Parchman 20 years ago on a life sentence for killing a sheriff's deputy and another person.

"This will be my new job," said Mettetal, a former member of the Simon City Royal prison gang. "I came here and for a long time I didn't care. God allowed something to come into this prison to show that people can change."

“James Wash, serving a life term for murder, said some inmates had to survive beatings to be released from prison gangs. When he left a gang to earn a bachelor's degree, Wash said he was only "questioned" by the members.”