KAIROS

"Kairos taught me to take responsibility for the things I had done in the past." 
Robert Fletcher

Kairos Horizon is a 12-month program that prepares inmates for a successful return to society.

LETTER FROM DR INMATE

"I feel better now than I have for as long as I can remember. My depression is gone, my attitude is really good. I plan to get Baptized this Saturday at the monthly KAIROS reunion. It's not going to be my unit KAIROS, but the KAIROS at this unit where the department hospital is. Never the less it will be KAIROS. The Chaplain here was one of the sponsors of our KAIROS and seems like a really good guy. I really like the KAIROS Program. Everyone in these systems ought to go through it.
You can't help but to get a little peace from it. "
 

The Florida Catholic "Orlando Diocese"
www.thefloridacatholic.org
June 27, 2002

INMATES SEE HOPE ON THE HORIZON THROUGH KAIROS
by  Terry Roen

WINTER PARK:  Robert Fletcher learned about responsibility, dedication and commitment during the yearlong Kairos Horizon program, which he said has changed his life.

The 38-year-old is a graduate of Horizon, a faith-based residential treatment program at Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach.

He was addicted to cocaine and running drugs for dope dealers when he was sentenced to four years in prison.  Fletcher said the faith-based program helped turn his life around.

Kairos Horizon is a 12-month program that prepares inmates for a successful return to society.  The first program was established at Tomoka in Daytona Beach in 1999, and has been duplicated at prisons in Ohio and Arizona.

Horizon is run by a group of 200 volunteers representing 25 different religious groups who present programs and serve as godparents visiting on a weekly basis.  The volunteers teach an array of classes that include anger management, substance abuse, parenting, computer skills and Scripture study.

"Kairos taught me to take responsibility for the things I had done in the past," said Fletcher.  "I learned to stay focused on my goals.  It showed me that by having integrity and a spiritual foundation you can accomplish anything."

Fletcher was released from prison and has a job delivering irrigation equipment.  He has reunited with his wife and 9-year-old son, Titus, and said he still uses values he was taught in Horizon every day.

"It was a challenge," Fletcher said.  "You had to really dig deep.  It gave me the opportunity to take some self-inventory, look within and face my Redeemer."

Horizon inmates live together in a special honor dorm where they set up their own code of conduct and honor court to manage the day-to-day challenges of living together.  The men maintain their regular work or education assignments and take the Horizon classes in the evenings.  The inmates are broken into groups of six or eight men who live together in pods.  One of the inmates is chosen as an encourager to help the men complete homework assignments and stay on course during the program.

Kairos Horizon, which is based in Winter Park, teaches volunteers how to respond to inmates with grace and compassion without being taken in, said Mickey Griffin.  Many of the classes help strengthen family ties and encourage inmates to keep in contact with their relatives.  Weekly letter writing to children and families is a requirement of the program.  Kairos provides the writing paper and stamps and inmates are encouraged to write letters so they can stay connected throughout their incarceration.

Reading Family Ties is a six-week journaling program with exercises that focus on fatherhood issues.  The men write essays and poetry and share the joys and triumphs of fatherhood.  At the end of the course, the fathers select an award-winning book for each of their children and record it on tape.  Through support from the Commission on Responsible Fatherhood Ounce of Prevention Fund, each child receives a book and tape.

John Lampe, a member of the Church of the Annunciation in Altamonte Springs, has visited Horizon inmates weekly as a part of the Godparents Program.  During the six-month program, volunteers become role models for prisoners by offering their presence and a listening ear.

Lampe, a retired manager of electrical advanced management at Lockheed Martin Corp. in Orlando, was paired with an inmate who had never had an outside visitor during the four years he was in prison.  "I definitely got more out of it than I put in," Lampe said. 

Chuck Speiser, who coordinates Crown Financial Ministries at St. Paul Parish in Daytona Beach, was one of several volunteers who taught the Crown course to inmates on budgeting and managing debt.  He said volunteers had to design the program just for prisoners, who had no idea about the rising price of gas and groceries.

"We talk about things we take for granted," Speiser said.  "We develop a bond that is second to none with the eight people in the class."

Dr. Larry Williamson, a member of Church of the Annuciation, has been a Kairos volunteer for nine years.  The dentist said volunteering in the prison helps keep his life balanced.

"I considerd myself a hang-'em'high conservative," said the dentist.  "The first weekend I volunteered, I cried.  I felt such empathy for the inmate."

Once a year, Dr. Williamson leads a Crown class at Tomoka.  He and his wife, Sharon, coordinate the Crown Financial Ministries at Annuciation Parish.

Kairos Horizon is part of Kairos Prison Ministry, a 25-year-old program that is active in 31 states, England, Australia, South Africa and Canada.  The ministry is an outgrowth of the renewal movement called Cursillo, which means 'short course' in Spanish.  The primary objective of the 3-day Kairos weekend course is to prepare residents for life in an ongoing Christian community.

Ike Griffin, executive director of Kairos Horizon, said that prison leaders decided to try a long-term program because of the success of the Kairos weekends.  The first program started in 1999 at Tomoka with just 64 prisoners.  This year, 128 inmates are enrolled.  Inmates who participate in Kairos weekends have a 33 percent drop in comparative rates of re-offending according to a study by the Florida Department of Corrections.  Those that participate in Kairos follow-up activities have a 57 percent reduction in recidivism, compared to similar offenders.

Randy Bryant, assistant warden for operations at Tomoka Correctional Institution, said he would like to see every dorm take part in the Kairos Horizon program.

"There's a vast difference in attitude between the Kairos inmates and the general population," Bryant said.  "The program gives them the opportunity to bond with individuals from the community who can actually tell them what the real world is about.  Through the weeks they develop a real rapport among themselves and the volunteers who teach the classes."

REGARDING THIS ARTICLE by Kay Lee
https://www.angelfire.com/fl4/fci/kairoscrosby.html

MTWT Prison Index
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