Although 95% of inmates are male, Father's Day goes uncelebrated in prison.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 1, 2005—When Rudolph was convicted of second degree murder in 1999 he faced a maximum thirty-year sentence. His relationships with his wife and his son began to unravel, and eventually disappeared completely. Like Rudolph himself, his son joins the countless masses of kids who grow up without a father. No dad to take him fishing, no dad to read to him, and no dad to celebrate on Father's Day. Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI), an international faith-based prison ministry headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, wants to help.
It is said that in prison Father's Day is the most meaningless holiday of the year. Most inmates grew up without a father; many have never met their father, or even know who he is. Prison chaplains say that they don't bother handing out Father's Day cards like they do for Mother's Day. And it doesn't make the day any brighter for prisoners to reflect on their own fathering record.
Consider the "homes" in which many inmates were raised and it is no surprise that Father's Day goes unobserved in prisons. Research indicates that most inmates never had a parent read to them when they were children; most witnessed violence against others by age 10; most were using drugs and/or alcohol by age 10; most were sexually and/or physically abused before age 12; most dropped out of high school; and indeed, most inmates grew up without fathers in homes that were in utter chaos 24/7. Under such circumstances it is no surprise that 2.4 million men and women, including over 300,000 juveniles, are incarcerated in the United States. They grow up with deep-seated anger and resentment that lashes out against those around them.
"Every prison is a heart-wrenching picture of failed fatherhood," says CBI President Dr. David Schuringa. "With CBI's reentry education during incarceration, as well as reentry assistance upon release, however, there is hope."
Take Rudolph, for instance. Once in prison, Rudolph enrolled in CBI and became an active participant in its five-year discipleship program. It wasn't too long into his studies that he told CBI he intends to break the cycle of despair and make amends with his son for his absence. Upon his release, CBI will connect Rudolph with a reentry agency that includes family counseling. Thousands of Crossroad volunteers are bringing hope to inmates like Rudolph in every prison in America. "CBI is seeking to rebuild the family from the ground up, one inmate at a time," says Schuringa. "With personalized, correspondence courses and letters, we gently instruct these fathers and future fathers to live responsibly according to God's truth, and let the loving acceptance of the heavenly Father melt away their anger."
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