Changing Prison Culture Will Change Our Communities

PASO ROBLES, Calif. - Sept. 24, 2013 - PRLog -- Forty inmates at California Men’s Colony (CMC) have chosen to change their lives by enrolling in The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI).  Sponsored by the foundation Serving California, through the generous contributions of philanthropist B. Wayne Hughes Jr., as Founder and Chairman, TUMI is a 3-and-a-half year curriculum roughly the equivalent of a Master’s Degree in Theology.

Nearly 800 inmates in 20 California Prisons are enrolled in TUMI, with San Luis Obispo being one of the latest to offer the program.  With more than seventy books and other related materials, TUMI is a rigorous academic program.

The educational benefits of TUMI are just the tip of the iceberg however, as the true transformative impact on its students is measured by their character and spiritual development.

Getting to the root of the prison problem, TUMI helps reduce gang violence inside prison and later on the streets, as inmates learn to put ‘their God’ before ‘their gang.’ Racial tensions are also neutralized by providing safe interracial classroom interaction, allowing for commonality, understanding and trust to develop.

·         Recidivism Statistics of General Population:  Within 36 months of release, 65 percent of California’s current parolees find themselves back behind bars.

·         Recidivism Statistics of TUMI Graduates:  Of 52 alumni, only 3.85 percent have reoffended.

According to Mr. Hughes, the immediate goal is to offer the curriculum to 3 percent of all California prison inmates.  This level of involvement is considered a ‘tipping point,’ which when reached has caused a cultural shift away from gang violence and racial tensions, and is what occurred over a period of 15 years in what once was described as the bloodiest prison in America. Angola State Prison in Louisiana reduced acts of violence, escapes and suicide by 64 percent by offering a similar theological degree sponsored by a Baptist Seminary.

“The TUMI program and Serving California are making a difference in the lives of inmates, and in turn, these prisoners are changing the lives of their fellow inmates and in their communities back home,” Hughes said.

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About: The Serving California (http://www.servingcalifornia.org/) foundation provides hope and resources to those who have experienced suffering, with a special emphasis on veterans and their families, victims of crime and incarcerated inmates who want to rebuild their lives by becoming pastors.

For more information about Serving California, their programs and how to participate, visit www.ServingCalifornia.org or contact AR & Co. PR and Marketing at (805) 239-4443, or pr@arandcompany.com.