Coffers dry, prison program folding up

Pathways to Freedom aim was curbing recidivism, getting inmates on new track

A Christianity-focused program with a mission of reducing the return of inmates at one Arkansas prison will close next month after a decade of operation because of its difficulty in raising funds from churches, officials said.

The final class of inmates enrolled in Pathways to Freedom graduated from the program Monday.

About 140 inmates at the Department of Correction's Hawkins Unit in Wrightsville -- where the program has been operated by two different groups since 2010 -- will be allowed to finish some remaining classes until October, Director Scott McLean said. He said the nonprofit that oversees the program under his direction will continue trying to assist parolees on the outside.

The only privately funded program of its kind in the state to operate in its own dedicated facility -- the 212-bed Hawkins Unit -- it was made up of inmates who volunteered for the program.

Since 2011, 279 prisoners completed the 18-month program, which included anger management classes and technical-skills training in its faith-based approach. A total of 831 began the course. Some prisoners dropped out, and others were paroled before completion, McLean said.

Graduates of the program described an intensive schedule that revolved around classes and positive attitudes, and inmates and their instructors -- many former offenders themselves -- prone to hugging each other.

John Pursell, a graduate of the Prison Fellowship program, stayed on to become an instructor for the past eight years. He credited the hours of training he received each day for helping him keep a steady job and remain free of drugs. He said drugs are why he landed in prison in 2004.

Pursell now works as a project manager for a Little Rock flooring business, where he says computers play a large part in his daily tasks.

"When I was there [in prison], I would say [computer skills] was one of my least favorite classes," said Pursell, who prefers Bible study. "I make a living off of computers now."

In a letter sent to supporters Aug. 29, McLean said he had given the Department of Correction 60 days' notice of his closure of the program. The letter also asked donors for $60,000 to cover the program's financial obligations before it ends its prison operations.

According to tax reports that the nonprofit filed with the Internal Revenue Service from 2013-15, program expenses have steadily risen, while revenue from private donations has not kept up.

Donations spiked by nearly a third in 2014, reaching $500,530, but quickly dropped again the next year. During the three-year period, expenses grew by 27 percent. In 2015, the nonprofit reported that it had spent almost $100,000 more than the $345,555 it took in.

According to its IRS disclosure, Pathway to Freedom's biggest increase in costs was for materials, benefits and payroll taxes for its six employees, as well as McLean's $82,078 a year salary and other compensation.

McLean said the program cost about $500,000 to operate annually inside the prison. The Department of Correction paid for the regular costs to house, feed and guard the prisoners.

The nonprofit running the program received no funds from the state and relied heavily on churches for support. Debra Hobbs, a former Republican state representative from Rogers who served on Pathway's board, echoed McLean's assessment that financially difficult times had hit the faith-based program especially hard.

"The finances just had not been coming in like we had hoped they would," said Hobbs, who was not paid for her role on the board. "Their giving was down, and therefore they had to cut back on supporting inmates."

McLean said the board considered reaching out to the state as it became harder to cover expenses, but members feared that receiving public money would limit their ability to run the program with a Christian message. Bible study and fellowship are a large part of the experience, members said, and the program accepted inmates of all faiths.

"It probably wouldn't be as effective if we received state funding," McLean said. "We thought it would limit us in what we thought was effective."

A similar program in Iowa operated by Pathway to Freedom's predecessor ceased operations in 2008 after a federal judge ruled unconstitutional the use of state funds to support the program.

The predecessor, InnerChange Freedom Initiative, began in Arkansas' Tucker Unit in 2006, joining an effort that was also in four other states. That program was run by a national nonprofit, Prison Fellowship Ministries, which was started by former White House aide Chuck Colson, who served a seven-month prison sentence related to Watergate crimes.

Financial difficulties during the recession led Prison Fellowship to end its programs in Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri in 2011. McLean, who had come to Arkansas from Kansas to help run the program here, formed Pathways to Freedom.

While the programs in Arkansas and those still run by Prison Fellowship in Minnesota and Texas have been hailed as models of success that save the state money, they become very costly for the private organizations that run them, said Sam Dye, the vice president of field operations for Prison Fellowship.

"They're very difficult to run solely on churches. You typically need major gifts from individuals and foundations," Dye said.

McLean said his staff has not conducted an official study of recidivism rates among its graduates. An outside study of the Prison Fellowship program in Minnesota found that it reduced re-incarceration rates among participants by 40 percent.

The Department of Correction's most recent official statistics show a recidivism rate of 48.2 percent for all inmates released in 2011. Last year, Arkansas prisons released 9,702 inmates and currently have more than 17,900 within their jurisdiction.

Pursell said he knew of few program graduates who had returned to crime. He said the religious component of the program helped him and other prisoners develop the self-esteem to have better relationships on the outside, improving their behavior.

"By the time you get them in the fourth quarter of the program, the rough edges are gone," Pursell said, referring to the last segment of classes inmates must complete.

On Monday, the last group of 14 inmates to complete the final step of the program was honored in a ceremony at the Hawkins Unit. Once the inmates complete their prison terms, they will be paired with mentors and begin their one-year outside re-entry program.

The rest of the prisoners in the Hawkins Unit will continue to take classes until the program ceases operations in October.

In a statement released Sept. 16, Correction Director Wendy Kelley recognized the program's achievements and said the department's chaplaincy program plans to start a new pre-release program for men at the Barbara Ester Unit in Pine Bluff before the end of the year.

Metro on 09/25/2016

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