Group Offers Jobs, Clothes and Hope to Prisoners

By Jeannie Blaylock First Coast News

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- This year, according to a local study, 49,000 prisoners from state facilities and local jails will be set free to come live in Jacksonville.

Experts say 50-60% of them will commit another crime and wind right back behind bars.

Think about that for a second. We'll be getting almost 50,000 criminals back on our streets this year alone in Jacksonville. And, most likely... more than half will commit another crime and go back to jail.

That means thousands of criminals will be roaming our streets possibly preying on you or your family.

The solution? According to former mayor Ed Austin the only program he's seen truly work is Prisoners of Christ.

Austin, who, as prosecutor, sent thousands of people to prison, is frustrated with the current system in which so many crooks stay in such a bad cycle of crime.

Mark Bragg, who was in jail so many times he doesn't remember the number, says Prisoners of Christ saved his life.

He was a violent drunk, he says, who also got tangled up in cocaine.

His life was heading down the drain when one night in prison he got on his knees and prayed to God, he says.

He hit rock bottom and remembers, "Only the Lord could take it from me because I could not beat it."

He got an application to Prisoners of Christ and reached out for help. Now he serves on the staff for the program and helps other men straighten out their lives.

Prisoners of Christ has been on the First Coast for 15 years.

Leader Charlie Towers, a local attorney, says the group has a 90% success rate at getting prisoners to straighten out their lives and stay that way.

Towers believes it's because the program encourages men to change "from within" through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Even though all men of any faith and background are welcome, Towers sees success coming from prayer every day and a desire to truly change.

How does the program work? Any man currently serving time can write a letter to Prisoners of Christ.

An application, only one page long, is sent to the prisoner.

Then the day he gets out of prison, people with Prisoners of Christ meet the man at the bus stop and offer him free shelter, clothing, food, business clothes and job counseling.

The staff is full of people who were once in prison themselves.

Executive Director Daniel Palmer says the program right now has an excellent job placement rate. Leaders say it's 100%.

For more information log onto firstcoastnews.com and look under the LINKS section for Prisoners of Christ. Or just call the program directly at 358-8866.

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