Lawmakers Call Out Bureau of Prisons for Discriminating Against Faith-Based Programs

There's a bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill to call out the Federal Bureau of Prisons for discriminating against faith-based nonprofits. 

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Sen.Gary Peters (D-MI) are pushing for answers on practices happening under the First Step Act. 

 Lankford says he and the Democrat Homeland Security Chairman will continue to push federal prison leaders until proper changes are made. 

"I think Jesus lives in prison because it seems like so many people meet Him while they're there. I would tell you that the love of God pours out to individuals regardless of their past," said Lankford.

Lankford believes the incarcerated can also discover God's love and transformative power when offered faith-based programs approved under the First Step Act.  

Tested and proven around the country, he's witnessed how they can drastically reduce the number of repeat offenders.

"I talked to a young man that was in a program in a state prison, that had a faith-based experience," said Lankford.

"While he was there [it] has been dramatic for him and the turnaround in his life.  He is now a person that's actually leading and is actually mentoring young people," he continued. 

Lankford says we should be hearing more of those success stories, but that hasn't been the case.

"The Bureau of Prisons has failed to actually act on that. They're not allowing these different faith-based entities to actually get into the Federal Bureau of Prisons and to actually do these programs," said Lankford.

To change that, Lankford recently teamed up with Peters. 

They wrote Bureau of Prisons' Director, Colette Peters, calling out discriminatory practices, citing how the implementation of recidivism-reduction partnerships appears stagnant.  The letter also points out that of the eight faith-based applications received, the bureau denied five, approved only two, and left the other pending. 

"She is the director there, and it is her responsibility to be able to make sure that there's equal opportunity, provided you should not have a situation where people of faith are literally blocked out of something, especially something as important as any recidivism."

The programs fall under the First Step Act, signed into law in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump.
 
It requires the bureau to help incarcerated people obtain a valid form of ID, like a driver's license or Social Security card.

FSA also assists individuals applying for federal and state benefits.

Plus, under the act, wardens are encouraged to enter recidivism-reducing partnerships with faith-based organizations and other nonprofits. 

Now six years later, Lankford says the Bureau of Prisons still has not acted on FSA's requirement.

"We don't want people that are in prison to end up in prison over and over again. If they can have a life change while they're in prison and they end up reconnecting with their family, get a job, actually get into society, that's better for everybody."

After CBN News reached out to the Federal Bureau of Prisons about Senator Lankford's concerns, its spokesperson replied that they only discuss matters directly with Congressional members. Lankford says he's already planned a follow-up meeting to ask them for the next steps.