One Barrel at a Time

In April 2005, two days after my 76th birthday, I became the Protestant Chaplain at California Correctional Center in Susanville, California. The warden hired me for the job of creating a Faith Based Rehabilitation Program, taught by inmates, supported by unpaid Outside Volunteers.

It was anticipated that it could be a rehabilitation program for the twenty six State Prisons in California as well a challenge for the myriad jails and prisons throughout the United States.

To overcome the warehousing model of incarcerating and housing inmate in prisons throughout most prison systems it is imperative that inexpensive programs be developed to counteract the chilling effect of sparse and ineffective free time support for the inmate population.

California recidivism rates in state prisons exceed 80%. It is expected that is much the same across the United States. Something needs to be done to counteract this and the CCC model is one attempt to do it. Included in this book are anecdotal examples and testimonies which point to this possibility.

The challenges or "barrels" related in this attempt to change the recidivism rate at one institution tell us it won't be easy. New ideas are hard to come by in prison, "the old and tried and failed" to often have the upper hand.

As you follow my story you will see how and who are the advocates and foes of change in the way prisons are operated.

The story told here can benefit the families of the more than 1,000,000 inmates in the prisons and jails in America. It can provide insights into the prison life for the students in the Correctional Curriculums in the colleges and universities of America. If the book were read by the personnel in the Administration of State Prisons they might be challenged to work to change the climate in their jails and prisons.

Whether any of the above read it isn't as important as if you read it. Read it!!