Joe Pitts: “in the 1990s we realized that tough sentencing for criminals reduced crime rates. But this year alone, roughly 600,000…”

“in the 1990s we realized that tough sentencing for criminals reduced crime rates. But this year alone, roughly 600,000 of those prisoners will be released; and statistics show that over 60 percent of these parolees will return to prison within 2 years. To combat this trend, Prison Fellowship, a faith-based group, was formed and began to offer job-skills training, drug treatment, and the opportunity to cultivate character and faith. The results have been dramatic. Just 8 percent of their participants have returned to prison within 2 years. It simply produces productive rehabilitated members of society. But the forces of the left seek to undo the progress by suing Prison Fellowship. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State have sued them because of this. The left needs to learn that faith-based programs work many times better than government programs. They are seeking to build a more healthy society.”