Changing lives: Theological education behind prison walls (Part 2).

In Part 1 of this series, I provided background about an accessible, affordable seminary training program offered in jails and prisons across the U.S. called The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI).

In the first article, I also highlighted participants’ qualitative comments that fell into the “healthy thinking/intrapersonal intelligence” category. I pointed out that a person with a high degree of intrapersonal intelligence (self-awareness, emotional regulation, self-regard, and the ability to strive to achieve personal goals and actualize one’s potential) is less likely to recidivate.

In this article, Part 2, I discuss interpersonal intelligence and its potential impact on participation in criminal activities.

TUMI Background

World Impact’s TUMI program offers Bible, theology, and leadership training with the goal of identifying, empowering, and releasing laborers who can both display and declare God’s kingdom reign among their neighbors, where they live. 

TUMI’s prison-based program does just that. Across the country in 68 correctional facilities and growing, men and women are being equipped with leadership and theological principles to impact their neighbors, even if those “neighbors” are right there in the prison or jail where they live. TUMI is changing lives and communities impacted by the criminal justice system and we have the qualitative and quantitative evidence to prove it.

I mentioned in part 1 that I have been engaged in a year-long program evaluation with TUMI’s prison program. What I’ve learned in the process is that TUMI is providing much more than just a seminary education. It is creating healthy thinking patterns, it is bringing self-awareness and self-respect to its participants, it is creating positive interpersonal relationships inside and outside prison walls, and it is equipping participants with problem-solving skills, impulse control, the ability to manage negative emotions, and freedom from substance use disorders.

The Importance of Well-Being

Psychosocial well-being is defined as “a state of satisfying and productive engagement with one’s life and the realization of one’s full psychological, social, and occupational potential” (Pettus et al., 2021, p. 414).

Well-being is thought to be one of the most important contributors to positive behavior and is of particular relevance to incarcerated individuals and those leaving incarceration, because it affords important protective factors in the face of stress and difficulty (Pettus et al. 2021). 

The presence of well-being supports “incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals’ capacity to reach their full potential while addressing common problems and barriers that often compromise their best efforts to achieve success” (Pettus et al., 2021, p. 414).  

Current Research Project

Recently, I completed a year-long impact evaluation. I was granted the rare opportunity to go inside jails and prisons across the U.S. and meet face-to-face with incarcerated men and women, many who were serving life or multiple life sentences. 

I interviewed 74 incarcerated men and women in jails and prisons throughout Kansas and Texas, 40 formerly incarcerated program graduates (some in California), and with the help of partners, we administered quantitative and qualitative surveys to 157 currently and formerly incarcerated participants across the U.S. 

I asked participants to rate their experience with TUMI, to self-evaluate their well-being (shown to be a key contributor to success in re-entry), and to discuss how participation in TUMI has impacted them. In semi-structured group interviews, I asked participants to “Describe the kind of person you were before going to prison/jail and who you are now that you have been a part of the TUMI prison training,” among other questions.

In this series of articles, I report the qualitative results of my evaluation that fell into three main themes: Intrapersonal intelligence/healthy thinking skills, interpersonal intelligence/social skills, and effective coping strategies.

Interpersonal Intelligence/Social Skills

One theme that captured the experiences of currently and formerly incarcerated TUMI participants in the program evaluation was interpersonal intelligence/social skills. 

This category is based on the thinking of Pettus et al. (2021) and Bar-On (2006). Interpersonal Intelligence includes social competency skills like social awareness, the presence of empathy, social responsibility, healthy family and other relationships, and positive social engagement (social experiences that involve others, engaged in during discretionary time, and that promote greater societal good and foster connection).

Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand and interact effectively with others. With interpersonal intelligence, one is able to create positive relationships with others, resolve conflicts, establish meaningful relationships, develop a stronger awareness of others, and put that awareness to work in daily interactions and communications. It involves verbal and non-verbal communication, an awareness and sensitivity to the moods and temperaments of others, and the presence of empathy and compassion.

Participants frequently described increases in interpersonal intelligence. Participants used examples of compassion, social responsibility, restored relationships with family members, and association with positive social groups/fellowship/community connectedness related to this theme.

Fellowship/sense of community

When asked to describe how their interpersonal interactions were different after participation in TUMI, one participant discussed his experiences of fellowship and community support:

TUMI has allowed me to change my perspective and my respect for others. There are guys that are lifelong friends for me in here. And I think we’re lifelong friends because of TUMI, because without it, I would still be stuck doing the same thing with people who aren’t good for me.

Another man described how the members of their class come together in ways they wouldn’t have before TUMI.

Even outside the classroom and the curriculum, we can come together as a body and bear each other’s burdens and lift each other up, praying for each other. TUMI brings us together. Before, we had a lot of rough relationships. TUMI made us color blind.

One other man said:

When I think of TUMI, I think of the camaraderie, the brotherhood of us gentlemen coming together to learn about the Word in a comfortable setting where it means something to each and every one of us. So, when we leave this place, we’ll remember each other, those who we walked this journey with.

Another man described the bond created with the TUMI community:

Overall, the core of this group has continued to grow and get stronger and stronger and stronger. So, I think as we overcome all these obstacles, we’re gonna be a very tight-knit group by the end of the program. I’m so thankful to be here and a part of this – if it wasn’t for these brothers, I would never have gotten a chance to fulfill the need I didn’t even understand I had.

Another participant discussed the encouragement he’s received from members of his class that has helped him be successful in the harsh prison environment:

And the encouragement, on the days when you are like, “man, I really don’t wanna get up today,” that’s what’s important. Some tatted up guy that looks rough, like he might wanna stab you, walks up to your bunk, and instead of saying something rude, he’s gonna be like, “I noticed you look like you’re a little but down today…is there anything I could do to help?” That would not be the response you would expect. That’s a great thing, and it’s beyond sometimes what I can even find the words to express.

Social responsibility

Participants frequently described increases in social responsibility as a result of participation in TUMI. Social responsibility refers to an ethical framework in which an individual senses an obligation to work and cooperate with other individuals for the benefit of the community. Participants used examples of trying to be a positive influence, being a servant to others, and even starting business outside prison walls, once released, that benefit society.

One formerly incarcerated participant described a business he’s starting that benefits families who want to visit their loved ones in prison but don’t have a means of transportation to get there:

I have a few jobs, working full time as a welder, and part time as a warehouse manager, and another part time job as a property manager. I’m also finished setting up my own business, a transportation shuttle, taking families to see their families inside of prison, like a chauffeur service. I’ll have a 15-passenger van with wi-fi connection, TV’s for entertainment, snacks for the kids, all that. Once I get the funding, I’m ready to go.

Another participant described his passion for spreading God’s Word to others and ensuring their salvation:

Because of TUMI I now have the desire to live like Christ, lead by example, and help others come to know Christ the way I do now. When I leave this world I only want people to remember the Christ in me and desire to follow only Him. I need to help others like me.

Another participant discussed how TUMI has changed his heart:

My soul is forever seeking lost souls. TUMI opened my eyes to the faith and how to walk with others. It also taught me to teach others more effectively. I was a worldly, selfish person who was not educated on the Word and how to apply it to my life. Now I am enjoying sharing the Word with others, thanks to TUMI. TUMI has helped me use my outgoing personality to spread the Word.

When asked to share how TUMI has changed him, another participant said:

Since TUMI, now I can now speak freely about my faith. Now I tell everyone about the life transforming power of the Gospel, helping others find eternal life, RIGHT HERE where I am, be it officer, inmate, or family by phone…my daily life is now a living sacrifice for others, wherever God plants me. Lord willing, one day I will get the chance to share God’s Word outside these walls to help others who might have struggled as I have.

Compassion

A number of participants shared that since they’ve participated in TUMI, they now have an empathic understanding of others’ feelings and desire to act on their behalf. They discussed how they relate to others’ situation and want to help ease their suffering.

One participant described how he’s more concerned about others since being a part of TUMI:

Becoming a disciple of Christ has made me new! A taker was transformed into a giver. I genuinely care about the eternal destiny of others now. As a result, I am not only surviving prison, I am thriving in prison. TUMI is an integral part of that process.

A formerly incarcerated participant discussed how he and his wife have changed since he was a part of TUMI:

Prior to TUMI, we could care less. Now, I see people on the street, and I say, “Man, I gotta feed them. I must do something to serve them, and I must help them.” TUMI made that very clear. I’m only making $11.00 an hour, but we feed people and it’s incredible. I see people on the street and start crying. My wife is like, “What’s wrong with you?” And I say, I don’t know, I just gotta feed them.

Another formerly incarcerated participant shared how he had compassion for a man who had stolen some cookies from a convenience store:

I saw him tearing up those cookies, tryin’ to eat them all before he got out the door. He’s eating them, he’s walking out, the clerk is tryin’ to catch him, and I’m like, “I’ll pay for those cookies.” Then I went outside and told the man, “no need to rush, Those are your cookies, man, I took care of it.” And then I got sad thinking, “shoot, I shoulda bought him some milk to go with them cookies.”

Strengthened family relationships

Several participants described how relationships with their family have been restored since they’ve been a part of TUMI.

One participant shared how his relationship with his mother had changed:

TUMI helped me relate to people. I used to be very harsh towards people, very bitter, very angry about my current situation, and that used to affect people around me, making them angry and bitter also. TUMI allowed me to change my life, to change a lot of things. I’ve seen relationships mended with not only friends here in prison, by with my mother and stuff like that. That was a big deal and without TUMI, none of that was possible.

Another participant described his family relationships have transformed:

Before prison, I was hell, I couldn’t care less about anything or anyone, I just lived my life for me and whatever I wanted, always a good time, and lost. Now I have grown into the man that my family and loved ones respect. I am a great father and husband to my wife and kids, and a leader to the people God places in my life. 

The Impact: Changed Lives

TUMI participants reported different kinds of growth related to their interpersonal relationships, which they described as being a direct result of incarceration and participation in TUMI. They experienced newfound compassion for others, a responsibility to actively engage with the world in positive ways, a desire to establish positive relationships with others, an overwhelming desire to associate in positive ways with the community, turning away from gang affiliations and activities towards activities that benefit society.

Participants described how they are more authentic in their relationships and feel a sense of responsibility to be better fathers, husbands, wives, partners, and community members than they were before TUMI. They have more social awareness, empathy, compassion, and healthy social interactions than ever before.

Results from this evaluation thus far suggest that TUMI is positively impacting the lives of justice-involved individuals and their communities.

In Part 1, I discussed how participants have changed in terms of healthy thinking patterns and intrapersonal skills. Here, in Part 2, I shared the changes participants had experienced related to interpersonal relationships.

In a subsequent article, I will describe how participants experienced changes in their coping strategies: how they cope with stress, manage impulses, problem solve, manage negative emotions, self-regulate.

Participation in TUMI is truly changing the lives of currently and formerly incarcerated men and women across the country.