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Pastor urges expanded prison education, easier access for ministries and budget support
Summary
A prison ministry leader told the Joint Interim Committee on Corrections that increased in-cell study space, restored incentives and faster vetting for volunteers could reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for incarcerated people.
Dr. White, a pastor who leads a prison ministry, told the Joint Interim Committee on Corrections that improving access for faith- and community-based groups, restoring incentives and expanding educational opportunities inside cells should be treated as budget priorities.
Dr. White told legislators that many people in Alabama prisons read at about a fourth- or fifth-grade level and that adding classroom-style structure and study opportunities could reduce recidivism. “We have to do more to educate, those who are incarcerated,” he said. “It does far more for them to know that they're being prepared for things when it's time for them to be released.”
Why it matters: Committee members and witnesses framed education and volunteer access as…
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