Walking Together Program

Faith-based organizations can play an important role in helping to reduce recidivism. A multifaceted approach to reentry would require new public-private partnerships and a significant influx of volunteers, many of whom could be drawn from religious congregations. The Multifaith Initiative will support faith communities in becoming a Station of Hope and how that plays important role.

The Transforming Incarceration Action and Advocacy (TIAA) group at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA) was the brainchild of UUCA member Joy Borra in early 2023. Responding to an issue that has always been close to her heart, she attended a conference in Atlanta on mass incarceration and was moved to get more involved. Through her work at the Interfaith Children’s Movement, she was able to get connected with other organizations also involved with issues of mas incarceration, including the Multifaith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration, Georgia Justice Reform Partnership, and Worth Rises

For Walking Together, a group of UUCA women and a group of recently decarcerated women living in transitional housing will be companioning one another. Companioning is different than mentoring in that we do not believe that the decarcerated women need our “advice” or “training” as is traditionally thought of in a mentor/mentee relationship. Instead, UUCA women will be there to share the journey, offering companionship and support. The leadership team for this project includes both UUCA members and decarcerated women who are working together to build a sustainable program that can grow and ultimately bring on other faith communities in the future.

An overarching implication of this relatively new body of research is that religious volunteers and faith-based programs have the potential to play a significant role in how we think about prison management, safety, and offender rehabilitation.

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