Prisons Week - Thought of the Day (Tuesday), with Hugh Osgood
Today our focus is on rehabilitation programmes in prisons.
When Joseph was unjustly imprisoned in Ancient Egypt, the whole experience still added to his life. He was arrested as a young man who had just transitioned from pampered son to household manager; a man with two unfulfilled (and easily misinterpreted) dreams circulating in his head, plus a whole lot to learn about Egyptian culture.
Although there was no education programme, positions of trust could be earned and this brought Joseph into contact with two royal-household prisoners. Becoming a dream interpreter secured his future position in government. Would that all prison sentences proved to be such a stepping stone!
“It is painful to be caught in a cycle of offending and we need to look for ways of seeing such cycles broken.”
Currently a lot of work is going into prison-based programmes for rehabilitation and prevention of reoffending. We need to pray for the effectiveness of such courses, both in terms of their planning and delivery.
A change in the rate of reoffending would also indicate a change in the extent of changed lives. It is painful to be caught in a cycle of offending and we need to look for ways of seeing such cycles broken.
This is part of the gospel message of setting the prisoners free.