The Jericho Project
Here in Tennessee, at least in three of Nashville's prisons,
there is hope for incarcerated men and an important piece of
the puzzle in solving the Correction's problem we have in
this country. It is called Men of Valor, an unprecedented
prison re-entry and aftercare ministry operating in conjunction
with Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). In November 2005,
Men of Valor began running a 52-bed housing unit at the CCA
prison on Harding Place in Nashville where we conduct a
full-time, intensive, faith-based prerelease program.
The Jericho Project is a two-phase program
that begins while the prisoner is still incarcerated. The
program starts with a minimum of 6 months of prerelease
curriculum, and is then complemented by an additional 12
months of aftercare mentoring once the prisoner is released
into the community. Prisoners volunteer for the program,
are screened against criteria before they are accepted and
are housed separately from the rest of the prison
population. Core programs emphasize the prisoners' need for
restoration with God, family, community and society. We work
with the prisoners all day, five to six days a week. The
core program areas of the curriculum include:
* One-on-one mentoring (each inmate is matched with a mentor)
* Responsibility in the workplace
* Breaking of criminal thinking
* Impact of crimes on victims
* Parent training
* Marriage training
* Personal values and morality based on in-depth Biblical training
* Money management
* Computer training
* Overcoming addictions
* Aftercare to include job and housing assistance
* Transitional housing
* Follow-up mentoring for a minimum of 12 months
The materials used in Men of Valor's teaching and training
program are mainstream, faith-based materials with proven
track records. They will not be radical in any way from a
doctrinal standpoint.
While we are extremely proud of our current 18% prison
return rate, we intend for The Jericho Project to lower
our recidivism rate even more. This decrease will improve
the quality of life not only for the men in our program and
their families, but it will improve the lives of all
Tennesseans who will benefit from a lower crime rate.
Similar programs in other states have documented prison
return rates as low as 10%. It is our goal to match this
rate of return at CCA, and we will compare recidivism rates
from our program with those of the state to evaluate our success.
The majority (80%) of the men we work with at Men of Valor
are fathers. The Jericho Project is an incredible opportunity
to give these incarcerated fathers the tools they need to
change their lives and their family's legacy. This program
provides a firm foundation for personal growth and a solid
start for these men as they reenter society.
For more information about The Jericho Project's
Core Curriculum Topics & Texts, and Men's Daily Schedule,
please click on the following links:
Curriculum Topics & Texts
Daily Schedule
CONTACT US!
Men of Valor
1420 Donelson Pike, Suite B-6
Nashville, TN 37217
phone: 615.399.9111
fax: 615.361.8544
Email us at carl@movnashville.com.