Some things true are hard to prove. One is that religion matters behind bars.
Some empirical evidence exists to deflect church-state separation concerns, but not enough. Plus, effective partnerships between outside religious organizations and prisons around the common goal of inmate rehabilitation are still underdeveloped.
The Kronos Project is rooted in the premise that God is a critical factor in inmate transformation. However, faith alone cannot bring about this transformation. The Kronos Project has a comprehensive transformation strategy, only part of which is spiritually directed. The Project also demonstrates how two separate organizations can work in solidarity to include religion in its curriculum and processes without controversy.
The Kronos Project is not a faith-based religious program, rather The Kronos Project is simply a spiritually directed seed-planter (Mark 4: 1-20). Kronos inmates are the Project’s soil.
The Kronos Project accepts inmates into the program who are actively involved in their faith, inclusive of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Kronos provides space for each inmate to openly practice their faith. These Kronos inmates are good soil for seed planting .
Kronos also accepts inmates who are not aligned with a particular faith, but are willing to abide by the faith-based rules of the program. These Kronos inmates are not required to incorporate any religion into their life during the program. These Kronos inmates are challenging soil for seed planting.
Throughout the program, major world religions are taught and discussed. Kronos inmates hold family meetings where they observe and learn to share and trust one another. Inmates meet weekly with mentors from the outside faith community to establish a solid caring relationship without influence of any faith content.
Over the ten month program, those inmates not initially devoted to a faith begin to find a chosen faith. The program becomes their spiritual journey. At the program’s conclusion, spiritual seeds have taken root in all Kronos inmates.
The Kronos Project restores human dignity in its inmates. Kronos inmates experience an internal personality change in their values and beliefs, altering their behavior. These inmates then begin mentoring others to create a safer prison culture. Upon their prison release, they can benefit communities through prosocial reintegration and reduced recidivism.
God is present in all of these Kronos outcomes.
Interested in being a Kronos parent company or host prison?
The Kronos Project is a fictional novel based on real people. Follow four inmates, Strong, Mateo, Carter, and Jax, through this innovative ten-month prison program. Learn how one small program can change lives and a prison culture from the inside out. Available on Amazon. Paperback $15.99. E-book $3.99. Join our conversation on Facebook.