RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) ó Darren Whitehurst lost hope after a judge gave him a nine- to 11-year prison sentence after a series of break-ins and thefts brought on by drug problems turned him into a habitual felon in the eyes of North Carolina law.
Whitehurst credits the Rev. Roosevelt Askew, then the clinical chaplain at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in Elizabeth City, with helping him go deeper in his burgeoning Christian faith while behind bars. Now a 43-year-old business owner and Baptist minister, Whitehurst is worried about a legislative proposal to cut 54 permanent state-funded chaplains serving dozens of the stateís prisons and replace them with volunteers.
ěI went into the system bitter, feeling like that my life was just ruined,î said Whitehurst, who was released in late 2005 and now lives in Williamston. ěIf it wasnít for him redirecting me, I do not know where I would be.î
Some House Republicans say the budget crunch leaves them with no choice but to seek such drastic changes.
The proposal from the subcommittee on justice and public safety programs released last week would eliminate nearly $3 million from the Department of Correction’s chaplaincy program. The subcommittee is charged with finding more than $200 million in spending cuts for the coming fiscal year to help close a budget gap for next year estimated by GOP leaders at more than $2.5 billion.
It would effectively end the current system of 43 paid clergy members who work at prisons. There are another 14 ětemporary,î or contract, chaplains that cover other locations in the 70-prison system, said Betty Brown, the stateís correctional chaplaincy services coordinator.
The measure would also eliminate four of the five paid chaplains that serve eight youth development centers and nine detention centers for offenders in the juvenile justice system, for another $250,000 in savings. Rep. David Guice, R-Transylvania, a budget writer for criminal justice issues, acknowledges these and other cuts are painful but ministries will go on without paid chaplains.
ěWe feel like that there is staff on board there that can help facilitate coordination and the utilization of volunteers,î said Guice, a retired probation officer. ěWe have a tremendous volunteer pool from our churches and our communities now that are working in our prisons and doing a great job.î
Guice said subcommittee members will be able to consider amendments this coming week. First-term Rep. Craig Horn, R-Union, is worried the short-term cutting will cost the state in the long term because prisoners without religion or a stronger character when released likely will reoffend and become incarcerated again.
ěI have no sympathy for the guy in prison … but the fact is thereís going to be a tomorrow and I don’t want them to come back, so theyíve got to have hope,î Horn said. ěI donít think entirely relying on volunteers is the way to go.î
Division of Prisons Director Bob Lewis said volunteers benefit prisoners, but it would be difficult to find volunteers who could work at the level of the state’s clinical chaplains. They are required to have a four-year degree, an advanced theology degree and one year of pastoral care training or two years in a pastorate.
The state chaplains facilitate and supervise religious activities for prisoners of all faiths. There are more than a dozen approved faith groups in the prisons, according to the Department of Correction, including Hinduism, American Indian and Wiccan besides the more common Christianity and Islam. The state must meet constitutional standards of giving prisoners the chance to express their religious preference without promoting one religion over another.
ěIíve never found a volunteer interested in dealing with all religions,î said the Rev. Randall Speer, chaplain at Central Prison in Raleigh, which houses 890 prisoners, including more than 150 men on death row.
Lewis said permanent chaplains also are preferable because they can be called in at any time to provide a calming influence during a disturbance. They offer prisoners ó and even correctional officers ó someone with whom to share personal problems or grief. State chaplains also can alert prison officials to potential gang activity. Since religious services are among the few places where prisoners gather during the week, some offenders can use the meeting as a ruse to build up membership, Lewis said.
ěYouíre all working together to keep a peaceful environment,î Speer said. ěWe are a stabilizing force to help the staff and the inmate.î
Whitehurst, the ex-prisoner, is now a chaplain himself ó one of the few paid by area churches to supplement work, not the state ó at Pasquotank Correctional Institution, where he served time. Whitehurst said heís not sure a volunteer could have figured out what he needed to get his life turned around like Askew did.
Askew ěpretty much helped me understand that my life was not over,î Whitehurst said.