When I was a young girl growing up in Anderson, Indiana (circa Ice Age), Ball State University, located in nearby Muncie, was sort of a joke. It was a “Teachers’ College,” attended by kids who didn’t have the grades to get into more rigorous or respectable schools.
Over the years, Ball State’s reputation has improved tremendously. It is no longer just a teachers’ college enrolling substandard students. It has become a respectable and respected University.
Or so I thought.
Suddenly, Ball State’s motto–“Education Redefined”–has taken on a whole new meaning. A recent news item was nothing short of appalling.
Ball State University has hired a controversial astronomer who is a national leader in the intelligent design movement (Slabaugh, Muncie Star Press). President Jo Ann Gora approved the hiring of Guillermo Gonzalez as an assistant professor in the department of physics and astronomy on June 12 at a salary of $57,000. He will start teaching at BSU in August. The hiring occurred after Ball State had launched an investigation into a complaint that another assistant professor in the same department, Eric Hedin, was promoting intelligent design in a science class…
Every court that has considered the propriety of teaching “creationism” or “intelligent design” (interchangable terms, no matter how desperately their proponents claim otherwise) in public school science classes has concluded that intelligent design is religion, not science. That includes Republican judges appointed by conservative Republican Presidents. Among scientists, intelligent design is a joke–not because it postulates the existence of God (many scientists believe in God), but because it is not science. Intelligent design or creationism can be taught in a class on comparative religion, but it simply cannot be taught as science.
Let’s talk about what science is.
Science is the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence. It requires the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena. Science is characterized by empirical inquiry.
The scientific method begins with the identification of a question or problem, after which relevant data are gathered, a hypothesis is formulated based upon that data, and the hypothesis is then subject to additional empirical testing.
Development of a scientific theory is a part of the scientific method. It involves summarizing a group of hypotheses that have been successfully and repeatedly tested. Once enough empirical evidence accumulates to support a hypothesis, a theory is developed, and that theory becomes accepted as a valid explanation of a particular phenomenon.
In the scientific method, a clear distinction is drawn between facts, which can be observed and/or measured, and theories, which are scientists’ explanations and interpretations of those facts. Scientists can draw various interpretations from their observations, or from the results of their experiments, but the facts, which have been called the cornerstone of the scientific method, do not change. A scientific theory is not the end result of the scientific method; theories are constantly supported or rejected, improved or modified as more information is gathered so that the accuracy of the prediction becomes greater over time.
Nonscientists use the word theory to mean speculation, or guess—“I have a theory about that.” When we fail to distinguish between our casual use of the term and its very different scientific meaning, we confuse discussions of science education. This has been particularly true of arguments surrounding Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Some religious people (certainly not all) believe that the theory of evolution is inconsistent with a belief in God, and they challenge the teaching of evolution in biology classes because they believe that it is “just a theory.”
In order to be scientific, hypotheses and theories must be subject to falsification.
A falsifiable assertion is one that can be empirically refuted or disproved.
Observing that a woman or a sunset is beautiful, asserting that you feel sad, declaring that you are in love and similar statements may be very true, but they aren’t science, because they can be neither empirically proved nor disproved. Similarly, God may exist, but that existence is not falsifiable—God cannot be dragged into a laboratory and tested. One either believes in His existence or not. (That’s why religious belief is called faith.)
It’s unfortunate that so many people don’t understand the difference between science and religion, but it is inconceivable that an institution of higher education would confuse the two, or allow religious doctrine to be taught as science.
I don’t know what’s going on at Ball State, but apparently that institution is “redefining education” in ways that will return it to its previous status as a third-rate institution.
Jo Ann Gora should be embarrassed, and Ball State alumni–who are seeing their credentials devalued–should be furious.
Ball State University, located in nearby Muncie, was sort of a joke. It was a “Teachers’ College,” attended by kids who didn’t have the grades to get into more rigorous or respectable schools.
Sheila, I know – “you can please some of the people some of the time, but…” The statement you made above falls in the “but” category. I have either known or had so many wonderful teachers who graduated from Ball State under the GI bill and on into the 50’s. Your comment seems unworthy of you and your blog. Sorry –
I was graduated from Ball State after attending on academic scholarship. I never felt like I got anything less than a rigorous education there. I’m appalled that intelligent design would find it’s way into lecture halls there, but I do agree with Michele B. that this portrayal of my alma mater is pretty unworthy of your blog.
Sheila; this blog has me concerned as my grandson Tyler opted for Ball State from all college acceptances he received. He received a Presidential Award of $18,000 toward his college education a year ago; he opted for Ball State when they asked him to become part of their Honors Program which has Its own dorm and more scholarships avaiable. Ball State then awarded him an additional $12,000 scholarship. When he and his mother attended the two-day orientation he was required to be tested and received the highest grade of the class in calculous. He excells in science and math and has won awards for excellence in consistently high grades and High Honor Roll at Irvington Preparatory Academy. At his graduation in June he was given an award as “The Student Most Likely To Appear On The History Channel”. His aim is to become a mathematical engineer. I hope he isn’t wasting his intelligence and extreme talents by attending Ball State. My nephew graduated from Ball State several years ago; after a few years of teaching and becoming disallusioned with IPS, he was smart enough to leave teaching and persue another career. I can only hope you are wrong in this assessment of Ball State University and that this astronomer is the exception to their rule.
“I can only hope you are wrong in this assessment of Ball State University and that this astronomer is the exception to their rule.”
Many Indiana Prisons use Ball State resources for inmate education. With the religious angle so prevalent in the prisons, not surprised they would want similar beliefs in their education program and teachers.
Just how much tax funds go to prison education?
There seems to be a great deal of confusion over what this post said–and didn’t.
I grew up in the 1950s, and the fact that Ball State was not highly regarded–whether that reputation was fair or not–was widely acknowledged by those who were determined to turn it into the highly regarded University it is today. It took a long time and a lot of effort, but Ball State is currently a very good school, and has been for at least the last 30 years.
I recognize the effort it takes to create a top-flight educational environment. I also recognize how quickly a hard-won reputation can be ruined by indulging in psuedo-science.
I’m sorry if some of you think mentioning what was a fact in the 1950s is somehow “unworthy.” It was not intended as a slam; quite the contrary–it was recognition of all the hard work that has gone into creating a respected institution, and the danger this hire poses to that achievement.
Sheila’s memory is correct about how Ball State was regarded decades ago.
Their teachers’ college was highly regarded and many fine teachers earned their degrees from Ball State during that period and since, but the college also admitted students who could not win admission elsewhere. I attended high school with some students whose grades were poor and who couldn’t win admission elsewhere, but they were accepted at Ball State (and didn’t stay more than a year).
Ball State’s reputation has risen over the years, and I’m pleased to know that they also work with the prisons to provide inmate education. (Educated inmates are more likely to gain jobs and
less likely to return to crime.)
But I’m appalled that the university would treat intelligent design as science and worse yet, hired someone who is part of the intelligent design ‘movement’. If this professor sees his job as espousing intelligent design and recruiting new supporters for it rather than sharing information on intelligent design, that’s bizarre and damages the university’s reputation as a campus of serious intellectual pursuit.
Ball State also jumped on the charter school bandwagon and not with impressive outcomes. It appears that Ball State panders to various movements – perhaps to appeal to prospective political and financial backers, but the pandering comes at a price that may be too costly for the university to absorb.
I must add to the conversation about the reputation of “teachers’ colleges”. A certain President of the Chamber of Commerce in his small Indiana town and his Southern cousin both attended teachers’ colleges. Having respectable GPA’s and suitability for college coursework, they sought out colleges (now called universities) that were a good fit with their needs, family resources and available scholarships. In no way was their education second-rate or ‘less than’. Somebody had to prepare to teach fourteen-year-old future doctors, lawyers, and CEO’s, who would eventually go out to make four times (or more) what that teacher was making at their highest notch on the pay scale.
Those future teachers knew that the money would never be all that great, and many took second jobs in order to support their families. They spent their own money for equipment and supplies that school systems could no or would not provide. They did it willingly to help their students.
“Teachers’ colleges” play a vital role in the education process. The process isn’t perfect by any means, but it is what we have at present.
We can all hope that Ball State will work out the current issues of science vs. creationism. The discussion surrounding the Scopes Trial continues to this very day. It is this writer’s opinion that science and creationism can actually work hand-in-hand, given patience and understanding from both sides. That’s the hard part!
Indiana State University was also known as a teacher’s college many years ago, but it cranked out some of the best teachers I had growing up. I suppose you looked your nose down at ISU at that time as well. It does seem rather odd that a professor at IUPUI would make such a derogatory statement about Ball State given all the derogatory comments I’ve become accustomed to hearing about IUPUI, right or wrong. The school blatantly discriminates in its hiring against anyone, who God forbid, holds conservative political views.
Back to the topic (many folks seem easily distracted by shiny objects). Parents of Ball State University students and BSU alumni might want to query President Gora about why Gonzalez was hired. The Wikipedia article on him says that he was denied tenure at Iowa State University. Gonzalez appealed but his appeal was denied as well. The Wiki article says: “The Chronicle of Higher Education said of Gonzalez and the Discovery Institute’s claims of discrimination ‘At first glance, it seems like a clear-cut case of discrimination … But a closer look at Mr. Gonzalez’s case raises some questions about his recent scholarship and whether he has lived up to his early promise.’ The Chronicle observed that Gonzalez had no major grants during his seven years at ISU, had published no significant research during that time and had only one graduate student finish a dissertation.”
The article gives this information about Gonzalez: “Guillermo Gonzalez (born 1963 in Havana, Cuba) is an astrophysicist, proponent of intelligent design, and a professor at Grove City College, a Christian school, in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He is a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, considered the hub of the intelligent design movement, and a fellow with the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design, which also promotes intelligent design.”
Eric Hedin taught a course called The Boundaries of Science. In my opinion, the discussion of intelligent design was appropriate in that course. He would be remiss if he did not discuss it. There is a big difference between teaching a subject and allowing the discussion of pseudoscience as part of teaching a course on the boundaries of science. Science has boundaries just as does religion. It has to be recognized that they deal with different realms of knowledge.
Ball State is a good school; my daughter graduated from it.
To sum up, during his seven years at ISU, Gonzalez had (a) no major grants ($22, 661 vs. $1.3 million for his peers) (b) no significant research (his publication rate dropped steadily while at ISU) and (c) only one graduate student finish a dissertation.
Why did Ball State hire him? How will his teaching benefit BSU students and BSU as an institution of higher learning? Ball State should defend its decision on hiring him.
Discussion of all subjects related to class issues should never be denied but…not all subjects of discussion should be taught as a class. Does that make sense? Being a high school dropout with a GED, much goes over my head but also, many so-called intelligent issues seem irrelevant to education and a waste of hard earned dollars of parents wanting to educate their children. I read Sheila’s message to be questioning the direction, agenda and meaning of Ball State’s motto, “Education Redefined” due to the hiring of this particular professor and his subject matter. If they have redefined education to mean teaching creationism as a science; this needs to be questioned. Intelligent design is creationism/creationism is intelligent design…maybe to religion based schools and Bible study classes.
Perhaps BSU is considering opening a Seminary. Thus, intelligent Design might appeal to those seeking a career as a “Clerk in Holy Orders”
Sorry, Gary. I’m a graduate student here and have had at least one professor who seemed to be quite conservative. On the contrary, it’s hard to tell the policy preferences of many of the professors, and I think that’s the way it’s intended to be.
(On a side note, I’m sure you could find a number of those who hold ‘conservative views’ within the business school)
Name, Rusty? Let’s keep the focus in the area of political science/public policy. When it comes to that area, conservatives need not apply. When I was an undergrad student at EIU, we had precisely one conservative in the political science department, and he was fired over a minor infraction involving the use of his office phone. We had liberal professors hosting parties where pot was furnished to students, profs who had sex with students (one actually knocked up one of the students in one of my classes), profs who met with politically-correct students the night before exams and shared material with them to be covered and just about every other form of debauchery and unethical conduct imaginable without consequence. One of the liberal profs even got busted for shoplifting at Jewel. No consequence.
Bethel College would be a better place for this guy. One of their graduation requirements is to take a religion class. There were lots of conservatives there Gary and they were teaching. They started each class with a prayer. There’s nothing wrong with conservatives teaching but at a STATE funded college, don’t you think that they should separate religion from science?
Oh my Gary; I certainly hope that prof (name?) didn’t knock up the student (name?) DURING your class. I also have to ask, is the department of physics and astronomy, where Sheila’s blog began, in the area of political science/public policy which is where you wanted to keep the focus? The description of your college experiences make me feel perfectly safe in sending my grandson off to Ball State; thank you for dispelling my initial concerns. Yes, I am being a smart-ass; I come from a long line of same.
Intelligent Design (not to be confused with belief in an intelligent design) has nothing to do with being liberal or conservative. It’s just bad science, referred by a number of history and philosophy of science people as an idea not ready for prime time. Many critics of Intelligent Design are Christians, but there are many excellent conservative scientists as there are liberal scientists, and there are many Christians, as well as non-Christians, who are excellent scientists, but if anyone is really interested in critically examining the Intelligent Design movement (certainly not a theory), they will find that it’s just bad science. I would be happy to direct any interested persons to that criticism.
Names, Gary? Or is this just more anecdotal BS?
As a BSU alum, I don’t disagree that it sounds like a stupid decision to hire this guy – but, c’mon, it’s astronomy people – how much damage can this guy really do?
Most of my professors from EIU are now dead, Rosemary. Dr. Ed Brazil died just a few years ago. He couldn’t keep his hands off the female students and he was fond of hosting parties where he enjoyed rolling joints and passing them around to those in attendance. He died at a relatively young age. One of his grad assistants told me that he later developed a cocaine addiction that didn’t do much for his failing health. The only one I recognize who is still on staff is the one who was busted for leaving the store without paying for a box of Pampers. He claimed it was by mistake. I think they ultimately dropped the charges against him, but students had fun using examples involving Pampers for years after that during class discussions.
My favorite professor and adviser was a big Democrat, Prof. Joe Connelly, who was also a member of the Illinois State Democratic Committee. He and I had nothing but mutual respect for one another, and he went out of his way to be fair to students of all political persuasions, unlike most of the other faculty members. He wrote wonderful letters of recommendation for me. His favorite story was the day President Carter called him on the phone and his secretary ran into his class to tell him the President was waiting for him on the phone. Carter was calling to make sure he was going to support him over Ted Kennedy since he was going to be a delegate to the national convention.
One dead guy (who can’t refute what you say) and another nameless one who allegedly didn’t pay for Pampers. These were the awful liberals who offended your delicate sensibilities? I can see how you were irrevocably scarred by those dirty lefties.
“I’m sorry if some of you think mentioning what was a fact in the 1950s is somehow “unworthy.” It was not intended as a slam; quite the contrary–it was recognition of all the hard work that has gone into creating a respected institution, and the danger this hire poses to that achievement.”
…As I posted before, much money from the Indiana Prisons goes to Ball State to educate thousands and thousands of Inmates each year. That equates to tens of millions in state grand funds, (Tax Dollars). Including “Faith Based Initiative” money.
If one takes a closer look at the prisons orgs and reentry programs, “ALL” I have researched are faith based. This gives the religious “Rape is God’s will” people at these prison organizations tremendous clout with dollars that can and will shape the way an educational institution under contract with them hires, and its curriculum.
“Guillermo Gonzalez (born 1963 in Havana, Cuba) is an astrophysicist, proponent of intelligent design, and a professor at Grove City College, a Christian school, in Grove City, Pennsylvania. He is a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, considered the hub of the intelligent design movement, and a fellow with the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design, which also promotes intelligent design.”
…Exactly! If they want creationism taught in their prisons Ball State will get with the program or they will find another to take their place. Exactly how much money flows to Ball State from the prisons should be researched.
As I posted before, I need to find the article from just this year where Florida religious prison org’s, fund’s, found their way into the coffers of religious candidates pushing to privatize education for religious schools. They never sleep and are constantly looking to force their ancient views, with tax dollars, by any means necessary. And the prisons are a way to skim this free cash through well meaning programs while forcing conversion on the Inmates….very sneaky they are, and they know higher education and science is their enemy!
Research “Prison Fellowship Ministries” and how they were sued by “Americans United for Separation of Church and State”, and lost. Caught red handed giving special privileges to Inmates that convert and attend their programs…including help with early release for high profile offenders. Missy Avila’s murderer Laura Ann Doyle belonged to PFM and was released early in 2012. I can assure you that at least 50 inmates at that prison joined PFM after this early release…and are now claiming to be Christian.
You had the same thing happen with the early release of Hope Rippey as I posted before. Watch out for the religious prison orgs, they have a captive audience.
Gary Said: “Dr. Ed Brazil died just a few years ago. He couldn’t keep his hands off the female students and he was fond of hosting parties where he enjoyed rolling joints and passing them around to those in attendance.”
…and?
Shall we start to list the respected conservative evangelicals involved with drugs, male prostitutes, mistresses, pedophilia? This blog is not large enough to list them.
Besides, the devil made them do it and god has forgiven them anyway…according to them!
I say they learned to hide their deeds and continue.
CORRECTION:
“Citizens United” for Separation of Church and State, not “Americans United”.
PFM was accused and found guilty of giving special privileges to prisoners who convert to Christianity, including help with early release at Newton Correctional Facility in Iowa
Another correction:
Missy’s killer, Karen Severson was paroled in July of 2011after serving only twenty-one years of her life sentence.
Karen was incarcerated at the California Institution for Women (CIW) and held the title of Minister there at Crossroads Church.
The Crossroads website says:
“We have been blessed with the “opportunity” to join forces with Prison Fellowship Ministry (PFM) which is an organization founded by Chuck Colson and is a nation-wide organization dedicated to ministering to the over 2 million inmates housed in institutions throughout the United States.
Now I need to research Missy’s other killer “Laura Ann Doyle” as she was released early in 2012.
An evangelical Christian prison program that has been supported by several conservative West Michigan families active in the religious right. The program at Iowa’s Newton Correctional Facility—called Inner Change and operated by Prison Fellowship Ministries, an evangelical ministry operated by convicted Watergate felon Chuck Colson—was judged to be in violation laws governing the use of state funding to support what the judge in the case termed “indoctrination of inmates into the Evangelical Christian belief system.”
While the program strongly advocated an Evangelical worldview, it also gave a series of special privileges to participants including private toilet facilities, extra family visits, and access to classes necessary to be considered for parole.
http://www.mediamouse.org/news/2006/08/court-ruling-st.php
Key words here are, “access to education”. Don’t think for a minute they do not wish to sway the higher education process to favor their beliefs.
Gary, I’d rather deal with a professor who smokes pot than this good christian “Colson”
Quote:
Colson was the first person sentenced in the Watergate scandal after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in an investigation of the break-in to Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist. Colson also allegedly had a role in trying to hire Teamsters to beat up antiwar demonstrators and in plotting to firebomb the Brookings Institution.
http://www.mediamouse.org/news/2006/08/court-ruling-st.php
I would like to move back to Sheila’s article to ask three questions:
1. What was the outcome of the investigation of the complaint against Eric Hedin for “promoting” intelligent design in science class?
2. Aren’t the terms “promoting” and “teaching” interchangable just as “creationism” and “intelligent design”?
3. If there was a problem found with Hedin’s teaching why was Gonzalez hired to promote/teach the same class topics?
I am assuming there must have been some problem with Hedin’s teaching or it wouldn’t be an issue connected to Ball State’s hiring of Gonzalez. Comparisons will always be made between creationism and evolution; these must be kept as comparisons to prove or disprove either issue – not to proselytilize Christian converts.
Also for Gary
http://goshennews.com/local/x1759190873/Low-level-offenders-filling-Indiana-prisons
Headline…”Low level offenders filling Indiana prisons” So Wilson, busted with two ounces of marijuana tied up in three bags, $3,900 in cash and no prior felony convictions, was sentenced to three years in the Indiana Department of Correction for something that would have earned him a citation and a fine in Ohio.
Thus, Wilson became a statistic, one of the growing numbers of low-level felons in Indiana’s prison system, which grew by 41 percent between 2000 and 2009, a period that saw an almost perfectly corresponding drop in violent crime.
And if this non-violent offender wants early release, he had better convert to “born again status”. The dark ages have returned, imprisonment for the non-religious, non-violent…And freedom for murderers once converted.
But if there are no examples of Les Miserables’ fictional Valjean — sentenced to 10 years for stealing a loaf of bread — in Indiana’s prisons, there may be quite a few Bruce Wilsons.
Technically, the maximum sentence in Indiana for stealing a loaf of bread would be three years, as that is the maximum sentence for a Class D felony.
In Indiana, that trend seems to have been turned on its head.
Increasingly, the prisons are seeing greater and greater numbers of non-violent, short-term offenders, convicted of Class D felony crimes like theft.
How do I know Ball State University is active in Indiana Prisons, research the “Shanda Sharer” case.
Tony Laurence has a Bachelor Degree from Ball State and served at Rockville. Toni served her entire sentence since she is atheist and belonged to no religious prison orgs’
Hope Rippey and Melinda Loveless both have Bachelor Degrees from Ball State and serve(ed) at IWP.
Rippey was released early after 13years of her 60-year sentence thanks to a mysterious religious woman named Martha Adams who paid for her attorney Mark Small. Martha had no family or apparently friends to leave her money too so she left it to Hope to hire an attorney…so the story goes.
Melinda Loveless attempted early release one year after Hope with funds from…???
As posted before, Laurie Tackett immediately joined the PLUS program right after Rippeys early release. Not sure about her Ball State education or if she has one.
J. David Donahue and Prison Fellowship Founder Colson Discuss the PLUS in Prison Life
http://www.in.gov/idoc/news/092905pluscolson.pdf
I say there just may be a connection with the religious right in the prisons and this new recruit, creationist professor, at Ball State.
“Comparisons will always be made between creationism and evolution”
…well, it would help if the creationist acknowledged the fact that the story of “a savior born of a virgin” was around 2000 years before they adopted and improved it to fit their holy book.
Gary, A Professor who smokes pot (which should be legal), and dated collage age girls may be a bit irresponsible…but compared to this:
http://freethinker.co.uk/2013/07/11/told-it-would-get-his-grandpa-into-heaven-boy-aged-seven-submitted-to-sex-with-a-predatory-priest/
QUOTE:
THE latest twist in the sickening saga of paedophile Catholic priest James Martin Donaghy – currently serving a ten-year jail sentence for 17 sex offences in Northern Ireland – took place last week when Donaghy was sentenced to another two years after pleading guilty to four more charges relating to a boy of seven.
Belfast Crown Court heard that the boy was distraught over the possibility of his dead grandfather being trapped in purgatory, but that 55-year-old Donaghy told him that, in exchange for sex, he could get his granddad’s soul into heaven.
Mark; you need to compile all these opinions into book form and seek a vanity press to publish.
I was a religious studies major at IUB. I recommended a class by a Professor Hart to my roommate, as I hadn’t taken any of his classes but had heard excellent things about him. It was a summer class, first session I *think*, in 2000.
The first day of class they went around and did introductions (300 level class so there were 20-25 students.) When my roommate mentioned he was an accounting major in the business school, Hart exploded on him, lecturing the class on how the business school is brainwashing young capitalist pigs into keeping honest people down. He waxed poetically about how the B-School was run by greedy Reaganites, indoctrinating their students into becoming unthinking red-to-black-by-any-means-necessary machines. This continued for the next 12 or so weeks.
I really enjoyed every single professor I had through the Religious Studies department, at the time it was one of the best in the nation. It was an amazing collection of eclectic and brilliant minds. Many of them, sad to say, closed their minds the minute they walked out of their comfort zone. No student should have to be subjected to that kind of ridicule. Even in college. The difference is in the school of liberal arts and sciences it was all too common. Just my experience.
AgingLittleGirl *stands and applauds* Mark. Awesome posts and links. Thank you for taking the time to back up your comments.
If I’m not mistaken, most of the Prisons in this country are ‘FOR PROFIT’ now, correct? These programs representing religious organizations need to not only be shut down but lose their ‘tax exempt’ status.
AgingLittleGirl said: (*stands and applauds* Mark. Awesome posts and links. Thank you for taking the time to back up your comments.)
I have much much more about these prison ministries as a result of investigating the Shanda Sharer case…and have been threatened for this, from our “Good Christians” in government.
(If I’m not mistaken, most of the Prisons in this country are ‘FOR PROFIT’ now, correct? )
…Not yet, but Indiana is moving in that direction. In other states they are in the decline since their contracts usually demand a 90% incarceration rate…which means judges will have to issue longer sentences for minor crimes.
Remember the Ohio Judge convicted for taking bribes to sentence juveniles to privet juvy prison ? That brought much light onto the prison for profit industry.
I have a hunch that there is just as much nasty behavior on one side as there is on the other, and one can only differentiate the bad guys from the good guys by what they wear.
What they wear???
One has to understand the entire concept of religion and the people who believe in relation to policy…greed is the major motivator amongst the religious leaders as redemption is the motivation for the followers. No matter where in the world one is born they most likely will adopt the religion of their parents. Like Adolph Hitler’s “Hitler Youth”, religious leaders know life long loyalties develop when one is brainwashed from a young age.
The religious follower who recruits through a prison organization is usually a volunteer. They believe if they can convert the most nasty of the human race they will receive brownie points with the sky daddy of their belief…it actually is a selfish act with NO benefits to the community around them and can be disastrous.
The leaders of these prison orgs encourage such actions by the volunteers and even encourage the associations with high profile offenders because they know how much weight it carries by releasing one of them and reverberates throughout the institution. Meaning, that the more high-profile violent offenders they release, the more inmates join their prison cult. And this equals more tax funds that the leaders pay themselves most handsomely from. If they screw up and someone gets killed by an offender that should never have been released, they lie and cover up as Mike Huckabee did.
This has been going on for some time. To those that remember the Sylvia Likens case, Gertrude Baniszewski and her daughter Paula, Sylvia’s most violent assaulters, both born again while incarcerated and released early.
Some say everyone deserves another chance…and a good policy. Until one reads what FBI profiler John Douglas says about such violent offenders. Prison is the only thing that stops them from raping and killing again. The reason we have penitentiaries.
Religion has no business deciding who is released and who stays simply because of their ancient beliefs.
Especially now since they are using these prison organization funds to promote their beliefs in our schools by donating to their own politicians campaign. Or, influencing the administration of a university that has a contract to educate inmates.
Did you people know Charles Manson developed his antisocial personality when young and incarcerated in a Christian run Indiana reform school…where he was beaten and raped? He went in a petty criminal and came out a criminal mind with extensive knowledge about the Christian religion that he would use to manipulate his family later in their murderous rampage.
Religion cannot change a demented mind into good and more often gives them the tools to create havoc.
If one has to believe that magical fairies and cloud gods watch their every move in order to be good…they are and will never be a good person on their own.
Want to stop this madness in Indiana, push to reverse the strict sentencing for non-violent offenders as the religious right wants such laws to farm their prospects by forced conversion by incarceration. They’ve been doing this for years.
A person who robs for food needs a job not prison, a person who robs for drugs needs rehabilitation not prison.
Mrs Kennedy appears to be very well qualified to start, or influence to create, prison rehabilitation organizations that are not based on religion. Funds that could be used to protect citizens with rational decisions about our prisons and the laws that put harmless people there…Critical thinking is needed, not ancient, magical beliefs.
Also, the “Faith Based Initiative” needs to be reversed. Much abuse of tax dollars there.
…most people don’t read anymore, video is the way to go with this information. Especially since a majority of the population has no clue what is happening in our prisons and the religious orgs there.
How many here ever heard of “Prison Fellowship Ministries” before I posted…Or “Kairos Prison Ministries” ??
Several years ago one of my best friends was a Minister who was active in the Prison Fellowship Ministries; he brought a few of these paroled prisoners into my home and my husband and I welcomed and became friends with them. Among them was Eldridge Cleaver. Yes, I have heard of “Prison Fellowship Ministries” and approve highly of them. I later attended the church of another member of the MInistries, driving to the far west side to attend Sunday services. This issue is still far afield from Sheila’s article but well deserves separate attention. As residents of Indianapolis, we should know what is being offered and taught in the Marion County Jail to prisoners who will be released to public streets if not sentenced to prison and what is offered in prisons. Are these Ministries having any profound effect on prisoners or are they giving the appearance of being converted to aid in early release?
“Are these Ministries having any profound effect on prisoners or are they giving the appearance of being converted to aid in early release?”
…the point is, one should NOT be forced into ANY type of religion while incarcerated in order to survive their term. And high profile murderers should be off limits to special privileges…that is why they are there.
These ministries have no right to make decisions about the release of an inmate, based on faith.
They do have good programs but use gov funds to create these programs. So religion should NOT be used as a weapon against unbelievers.
Laurie Tackett had to come up with some fantastic religious story to be accepted into the PMF run PLUS program. (Have you seen the video of her cell now that she joined the PLUS program?)
ICAN the prison dog program that Hope Rippey belonged to and Melinda Loveless belongs is related to Kairos Prison Ministries. Does that mean only Christians can train dogs? Both prison orgs use gov funds.
Actually, ICAN’s mission statement says violent offenders will not be accepted into their program, so why are these two extremely violent murderers allowed?
One thing is for sure, both girls, and to quote Hope Rippey, “Are good Christians now”.
“he brought a few of these paroled prisoners into my home and my husband and I welcomed and became friends with them.”
…any of these murderers and rapists ? Or were/are they the nonviolent offenders forced to join PFM for assistance?
PFM paid the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the IFI program in the Carol Vance Unit in Fort Bend County, Texas. The study considered the IFI participants and a control group. 177 prisoners participated in the IFI program, and 75 of those prisoners graduated. In order to graduate, a prisoner was required to continue participating in the program after his release, including complying with the employment requirement. The 102 prisoners who did not graduate either received early parole and did not finish, left the program, or were expelled from the program.[5] The members of the IFI group who had their recidivism rates tracked were released from prison before September 1, 2000.[1] PFM intended for the study to have a favorable result so that the study would assist PFM’s efforts to receive federal funding.[5]
The study concluded that the prisoners who graduated from the program had a recidivism rate of 8 percent. The study’s control group had a recidivism rate of 20%. The overall State of Texas recidivism rate was 30%.[5] According to the study, as a whole the group who participated in IFI had a higher likelihood of being rearrested than the control group,[5] with 36% arrested within two years, while 35% of the control group was arrested within two years.[2] 24% of all of the IFI participants were reimprisoned, while 20% of the control group was reimprisoned.[
IFI= Inner Change Freedom Initiative, a PFM program
Mark A.R. Kleiman, a University of California, Los Angeles professor who studied crime, decided to study IFI. According to Kleiman, when first encountering the study, he stated that he thought “This is interesting. Those look like good recidivism numbers, and good recidivism numbers are hard to find.” Upon examining the study, Kleiman concluded that IFI selected prisoners who were already motivated and disciplined and more likely to succeed to participate in the program. Kleiman said that the study “gives you this happy horseshit about the graduates, but if you look at the ‘intent to treat,’ it’s a loser.”