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| Jail Visitation Presentation | "Creepin Death" - An Essay by an Inmate |
| Jail and Prison Visitation Home |
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Jail and Prison visitation is an important and integral part of our ministry. Jesus Himself
was concerned for those incarcerated and likened visiting prisoners in jail as ministry to Him.
Jail and Prison Ministry will have many objectives, forms and types of presentations once we gain entrance to the penal facility. |
| What is required for any volunteer to enter a penal facility in Alabama? |
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It should be understood every prison, jail and work release facility in Alabama, regardless to the type of facility, is considered
a secure area. As such, all individuals entering a jail or prison have to be oriented, screened and approved for entry.
It should further be understood the State is very discriminating in regard to who may enter a penal facility. As a general rule, individuals that are not associated with a visitation group (such as a prison ministry) are not allowed to visit any inmate unless they are a family relation or legal counsel for the inmate, and are on the inmate's visitation list. This is because of security issues, visitor and inmate security, and the safety of the general public. Additionally, normal visitation may be limited to once a month, so an unfamiliar visitor could make it through all the red tape on his own, then have the inmate decline the visit since the visitor is not family relation or legal counsel for that inmate. Inmates do not want to give one of 12 visits over an entire year to a person they hardly know. To amplify on the second paragraph, secure facilities such as jails and prisons have a conduct code and requirements that stipulate what a visitor can and cannot do inside the facility, things the visitor can and cannot bring into the facility and even criteria for visitor/inmate interaction. So then, it could be said visiting a prison or jail is a bit more complicated and detailed than visiting any other location where individuals are housed for some reason. This is why joining a group that is already affiliated with the State such as Promises of Life is such a benefit if you are interested in prison or jail ministry. First of all, the prospective volunteer should be recommended by someone in authority over a group already entering that facility. A prospective volunteer must attend a facility entrance orientation conducted either by a state chaplain, or an individual that has been approved to conduct the orientations by a state chaplain.. There may be exceptions or variations to this rule, but it is the general method the process is started. Once the individual is sponsored and brought to an official orientation, a background check can then be conducted of the potential volunteer. There is criteria for what may or may not be on a person's record that may disqualify them from entering a secure penal facility. Assuming the background check is either clean, or is OK with no disqualifying record, then the volunteer's application is submitted to the state chaplain or his designate as well as the warden of the prison the volunteer will be entering. If the sponsor, the chaplain and the warden agree to admit the volunteer to the prison, once all responsible parties (chaplain, sponsor, warden and others as indicated) have cleared the individual for entry the volunteer may come in. However, in the beginning the new volunteer must come in with a mentor that is experienced with prison visitation and the specific policies and procedures of that facility. As a general rule, we always want to go into these facilities by twos or more anyway. Obviously a facility like Holman Prison in Atmore, Alabama where death row and life without parole inmates are housed requires strict adherence to regulations, our volunteers must be screened with background checks and must be oriented and trained prior to entering that facility. Our pre-entry screening and orientation, along with support and guidance of the new volunteer after they are approved makes inclusion into a group such as ours very valuable, productive and gratifying for the volunteer. Additionally, we normally put a new volunteer that is freshly screened, cleared, trained and oriented with an experienced volunteer that has entered Holman many times. Most any jail, work release or prison will require adherence with ALDOC rules and site specific rules for that location. Again, reasons for you to work with a prison and jail ministry such as ours. Your burden and desire to fulfill the works and commands of Jesus can be realized. We are here to help. Contact us for more details. |