Breaking the chains

One former federal prisoner hopes his efforts will help thousands of other ex-offenders lead healthy, law-abiding lives when they re-enter society after serving their prison terms.

This year, more than 600,000 inmates will be released from America’s prisons on probation or parole. According to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, two-thirds of those released will commit a crime and be arrested again within three years of their release.

Former federal prisoner Pat Nolan is working toward lower recidivism rates and to reform the criminal-justice system as the president of Justice Fellowship. The fellowship is the public-policy arm of Prison Fellowship Ministries, whichworks with churches across the country to minister to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families.

“I got to see both sides of the criminal-justice system,” Mr. Nolan said. “I saw how little was being done for the inmates to return to the community.”

Formerly a Republican leader of the California state Assembly, Mr. Nolan was convicted of racketeering after he received an illegal campaign contribution in an FBI sting.

The husband and father of three pleaded guilty in 1994 to one count of racketeering. He served 25 months in federal prison and four months in a halfway house.

After being released in 1996, Mr. Nolan struggled to adjust to life outside the prison walls.

“While you’re in prison, all control is taken away from you,” Mr. Nolan said. Outside prison, he found he had trouble making choices as simple as ordering lunch off a restaurant menu.

“For two years, I hadn’t made a choice of what to eat,” he said.

Mr. Nolan said issues of control are not the only problems that ex-offenders face after they are released. He said many have difficulty readjusting to changes in society and technology advancements that occurred during their incarceration. Others lack a strong moral framework that could help them stay away from crime.

“They haven’t been given a code of conduct of what’s right and wrong,” said Mr. Nolan, whose new book, “When Prisoners Return,” advocates a faith-based approach to help prevent recidivism. “If we are going to break the cycle, we have to give them a new code to base their decisions.”

In hopes of reducing recidivism rates, Mr. Nolan helped develop the Second Chance Act of 2004. The legislation was introduced June 23 by Rep. Rob Portman, Ohio Republican, along with co-sponsors Rep. Danny K. Davis, Illinois Democrat; Rep. Mark Souder, Indiana Republican; and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ohio Democrat.

“We have this huge social problem that is not getting enough attention,” a spokesman for Mr. Portman said. “If people are not committing so many crimes, it will make our communities safer.”

“This bill provides, as a beginning, the essential ingredients necessary to assure public safety,” Mrs. Jones said. “It will help begin the process of breaking down barriers to successful re-entry and allow ex-offenders and their families the tools necessary to break the cycle of criminality.”

Mr. Portman researched and consulted with about 60 organizations when creating the bill, but Justice Fellowship and Prison Fellowship Ministries were two of the main consultants. Since its introduction, the legislation has drawn bipartisan support from Congress and private organizations.

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