KAIROS HORIZON COMMUNITIES IN PRISON (FL, OH, OK, TX)

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Program Description

Kairos Horizon Communities in Prison is a nonprofit organization founded to establish faith-based residential programs in prisons. The first project was established in 1999 at Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach, Florida, in collaboration with the Florida Department of Corrections and the Florida Commission on Responsible Fatherhood. Other Horizon multi-faith programs are active elsewhere in Florida, in Ohio, Texas, and Oklahoma, and while not strictly a pre-release program, some states view it as that. Horizon is an outgrowth of Kairos Prison Ministry, an ecumenical ministry established in 1976 and now active in over 260 prisons in 30 states and four foreign countries. The two ministries share an office together in Winter Park, Florida.

Kairos Horizon Communities in Prison works with male inmates prior to their release to begin the process of rehabilitation before they return to their communities. The program houses 40 to 60 inmates in separate housing units in the prison; it emphasizes spirituality, faith, family reunification, and employability. The men maintain their regular work or education assignments during the day. Programming usually takes place during the evenings, three times a week, over a period of one year. Programming varies by location, but typically includes the following components:

•  Godparents (or Outside Brothers or Sisters). Lasting for about six months, this is an informal mentoring component in which volunteers from local churches, synagogues, and mosques visit with the participants.

•  Journey. This group study session, which is about four months in length, focuses on self-discovery and the scriptures.

•  Quest. This program, seven months in length, emphasizes anger management, parenting skills, relationship skills, and life skills.

•  Family Relations. This segment provides an avenue for participants to work on building relationships with their families through weekly letter writing. During this time, other special events such as a family day are scheduled in an effort to facilitate family reunification.

•  Worship, Prayer, and Service. This program ensures that certain times are scheduled for worship and community prayer. The men in the program live in family pods with six to eight other men. During scheduled weekly meetings, they discuss community issues.

Other programs offered through Kairos Horizon may include monthly workshops on prayer and meditation; substance abuse programming; computer skills classes; GED classes; as well as discussion groups on listening, cooperating, and problem solving; and a journaling series on fatherhood issues.

Program Goals
The goal of Kairos Horizon is to create a community of support and respect in which participants may learn responsibility, accountability, and employability through engagement with the faith community and deepening their faith.

Networking, Partnering, and Collaboration
Kairos partners with many outside agencies, including the various state departments of corrections; Corrections Corporation of America; the Florida Commission on Responsible Fatherhood; the Administration on Children and Families of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services; Crown Financial Ministries; the Salivation Army; Peace Creations in California; local churches, synagogues, and
mosques; The Center for Islamic Studies in Ohio; the Interfaith Center for Peace in Columbus; and Caliber Associates.

Outcomes

An external evaluation reported that the program instilled a "positive subculture" within the prison population. A survey of work supervisors found that improvement in the men's work was seen in 70 percent of the clients, and 58 percent of the clients had a "positive influence on others in the work environment." The program also reports improved family relations, which it credits to its mandatory weekly letter writing to family members and other family-oriented programs.

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