On October 26, 2023, representatives from Prison Fellowship International, Pepperdine University, Prison Fellowship Colombia, the Colombian National Penitentiary and Prison Institute and the Colombian Senate presented an exciting new partnership between them regarding a multi-year study in Colombia’s prison system to measure the efficacy of international prison programming in offender rehabilitation, recidivism reduction and general correctional reform. 

Press Conference Speaker Recap

To kick off the press conference, Pepperdine University President Jim Gash shared about the Center for Faith and the Common Good, the university’s academic home for scholarly investigations of how faith and religion impact flourishing, under which this research and study is being conducted. As a platform to integrate scholarship, student engagement and global impact, the center develops innovative ideas with scholars and leaders to send out brilliant leaders of faith, character, courage and creativity.

Learn from President Gash about how Pepperdine University is fulfilling its vision through this partnership:

El Presidente Gash nos explica cómo la Universidad Pepperdine está haciendo realidad su visión a través de esta asociación:

Prison Fellowship International President and CEO Andy Corley then expressed his excitement for the partnership, as it represents a giant leap forward in accomplishing the organization’s vision to break the cycle of crime.

Prison Fellowship Colombia is one of Prison Fellowship International’s most successful national ministries, as they reach over 20% of the prison population, marking a tipping point. They also work outside of prison with families. Both of these are vital aspects of breaking the cycle of crime, which is why Colombia was chosen as the initial study location.

Andy often gets asked how Prison Fellowship International programs affect recidivism. The answer? There isn’t any empirical data to reach a conclusion. This is why this project, and the data collection that comes with it, is so important.

Listen in as Andy shares about the prospect of collecting strong data: 

Escucha lo que Andy nos cuenta sobre la posibilidad de recopilar datos sólidos:

A pre-recorded video of Colombian Senator Lorena Ríos Cuéllar demonstrated her gratitude to each organization for enabling the study of Colombian prisoners. She emphasized the Colombian Senate’s commitment to ensuring successful implementation of this study. Understanding that rehabilitation is crucial for prisoner transformation, the study’s findings will help create projects and legislative initiatives aimed at making rehabilitation the standard, not the exception, in Colombian detention centers.

Dr. Sung Joon Jang, visiting scholar at Pepperdine University, shared an overview and some details of the complex project, including:

• Twelve programs currently operating in Colombia evaluated in three batches.

  • Batch One: Six in-prison, offender rehabilitation programs, including The Prisoner’s Journey^®, Sycamore Tree Project^®, Public Reading of Scripture/The Listener’s Way^®, Prison Project Phillip, Prison Institute and Train and Multiply.

  • Batch Two: Four community programs, including The Child’s Journey^®, Angel Tree, The Green Side and The Revolving Fund.

  • Batch Three: Two restorative justice programs, including Restorative Communities and Juvenile Restorative Justice.

• Four research sites.

• Quasi-experimental.
  • Experimental group: prisoners who participated in programs.
  • Control group: prisoners who have not yet participated in any programs.
• Data Sources.
  • Data collected from two surveys: pre-test and post-test with three month interval.
  • Demographic and criminal background information from the Colombian National Penitentiary and Prison Institute.
• 2,000 total prisoners sampled.

Dr. Byron Johnson, co-executive director of Pepperdine University’s Center for Faith and the Common Good, added to the details, mentioning the one-of-a-kind integrated database being created with data collection. By tracking prisoners while studying their family and children, puzzle pieces will come together that help explain how people can live crime free, a question that’s never been answered until now. These findings begin to unfold a giant laboratory in Colombia.

Hear Dr. Johnson’s thoughts on the global impact that this study could have:

Escuche la opinión del Dr. Johnson sobre el impacto global que podría tener este estudio:

Via Zoom, Colonel Daniel Gutierrez, general director of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute, shared how honored they are to participate in such an important project that involves multiple academic and ministry members. The government is viewing this as a humanization process, for both prison guards and prisoners.

“Over the next two years, we are dedicated to creating a solid database that will serve as an example for other countries who will do projects like this moving forward.”

Prison Fellowship Colombia Executive Director Lácides Hernández, who has been dedicated to transforming the lives of prisoners and their families in Colombia for over 35 years, is working to counteract the country’s culture of never-ending, cyclical violence, murder and death. Prison Fellowship International has served as a real inspiration and resource for him, as he has learned how to use multiple tools to work with prisons and prisoners nationally. Both Prison Fellowship International and Prison Fellowship Colombia exist to break the cycle of crime and restore lives, worldwide, though Jesus’ love. Transformation and reconciliation cannot be limited to just the prisoner, which is why both organizations have programming inside and outside the walls of prison.

Listen in as Lácides explains the importance of this project:

Escuche cómo Lácides explica la importancia de este proyecto:

He reiterated that while this study is taking place in Colombia, the results will direct many national ministries all around the world.

Cameron McCollum, administrative director for Pepperdine University’s Center for Faith and the Common Good, rounded out the session by sharing about the work that the university’s Sudreau Global Justice Institute does in their mission to partner with governments around the world to aid them in building the capacity of their justice system, so that all people have timely access to justice. This vision is accomplished through drafting and implementing plea bargains in countries with heavy backlogs, training key stakeholders and advocating for under-resourced individuals.

Hear Cameron’s perspective on potential future collaboration between the institute and Prison Fellowship International:

Escuche el punto de vista de Cameron sobre la posible colaboración futura entre el instituto y Prison Fellowship International:

In total, 320 attendees, including media, organizational representatives and employees, other partner organizations, and national ministry staff and volunteers, joined the symposium (295 online and 25 in-person in Malibu, California). Participants tuned in from 25 countries around the world.