The Prisoner's Journey® Creates Lasting Change in Program Graduates

Engaging meaningfully with the Gospel of Mark through Prison Fellowship International's course and discipleship program has proven effective in identity transformation and long-term change.

How We Know

The ongoing survey of incarcerated individuals who have graduated from The Prisoner’s Journey has revealed encouraging results about lasting transformation in an increase in prayer life, hope for the future, family visits and reduced acts of violence.

Prison Fellowship International, in partnership with Dr. Byron Johnson, created and launched an internal study to evaluate The Prisoner’s Journey’s ongoing effectiveness through qualitative evidence in the lives of program graduates. The survey is administered to a participant before they begin the course and then again after course graduation. To date, data from nearly 2,000 prisoners has been collected.

Survey Areas Measured

Prayer Life

How often participants pray outside of religious programming

Hope for the Future

Level of agreement with the statement: "I feel hopeful about my future"

Happiness

How happy or unhappy participants typically feel

Family Visits

Amount of contact or visits (in-person or virtual) with family members

Violent Acts

Number of violent acts engaged in (against a person and/or property)

Results

Prayer Life

Before participating in The Prisoner's Journey, 67% of respondents reported that they rarely or never prayed. After completing the course, only 1.7% of graduates reported that they pray on rare occasions or don't pray at all, with 67% of course graduates reporting that they now pray at least daily.

Results

Hope for the Future

There is a similar trend between pre- and post-program responses regarding participants' hope for the future. Before completing The Prisoner's Journey, 79% of respondents reported that they felt negatively about the future. After completing the course, 94% express positivity and hope for their future – a significant change!

Results

Happiness

On a scale of 0-10 for general happiness levels, participants averaged a 2, an indication of general dissatisfaction with life. After completing The Prisoner's Journey, the average happiness level was a 7.5.

Results

Family Visits

The behavioral shifts noted above are having further positive impacts on participants' lives. When asked to report the number of family visits before completing the course versus after, 53% of participants noted an increase in the number of visits they received.

Results

Violent Acts

Perhaps one of the most compelling findings is that 69% of participants had committed a violent act within 30 days of completing the survey. However, after The Prisoner’s Journey was introduced, only 22% of graduates reported the same outcome – a 68% reduction.

While this survey reflects the positive effects seen in global prisons directly from program participants, prison officials are also sharing the transformation they are noticing in the facilities they oversee.

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“I have not received a complaint about the prisoner Juana since she joined The Prisoner’s Journey several weeks ago. She used to boss others around, shout swear words and hurt other prisoners. These days, she respects prison officers and no longer provokes fights. We now see her smiling often and helping other prisoners who need assistance. Her countenance is calm and cheerful. What a relief for us, as prison officers, to see her transformation!”
Custodial Official
The Philippines

The spiritual benefits of The Prisoner’s Journey are eternal, but the program is also proving key to ensuring that prisoners have a stable foundation for re-entry when released. This decreases recidivism and helps participants, their families and communities break the cycle of crime – a goal at the heart of everything that Prison Fellowship International does.

Interested in learning more?

Want to dive deeper into the results or explore the survey questions? Check out The Prisoner's Journey Survey Dashboard for live results and the ability to filter data.

View Live Results