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The most amazing story of the year

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Illinois

* A group of committed volunteers goes into the worst cell block in all of Cook County Jail and produces unheard of results. Wow…

The combined number of incidents prior to the implementation of Malachi Dads in September 2015 was 83.

“The numbers don’t lie,” says Dart. “As a group, they had incident after incident, fighting, fighting with correctional officers and exposing themselves. Now, it’s zero. I’m not saying it went from whatever to zero and back up. It has stayed at zero. I was blown away.”

Read it all.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:17 am

Comments

More of this please!

Comment by Unicorn Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:25 am
These volunteers are not paid and save taxpayers money because the jail is less violent. They are responding to Jesus in Matthew 25 who urged his followers to visit the prisoner. How many Christ-followers have done that?

Comment by anon Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:40 am
Amazing things happen when you treat people like human beings as opposed to caged, hopeless animals.

Comment by Sick & Tired Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:42 am
Tom Dart quietly becoming an amazing innovator as Sheriff. I know some folks on this blog don’t like him but it’s hard to argue with the results from some of his efforts.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:51 am
When the Spirit of the Lord is involved, just stand back a marvel.
I know I do!

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:57 am
Anonymous - Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:57 am: as ME!
Darn new configs!

Comment by WhoKnew Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 10:57 am
Memo to the so-called Orange Crush at IDOC:

You’re doing it wrong.

Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 11:02 am
Everybody needs hope. It’s nice to see committed volunteers helping administer some hope to a group of people that many would deem utterly hopeless. Dart is a good man who really works at his job.

Comment by chiatty Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 11:21 am
Great, amazing, inspirational. Thanks for sharing.

Comment by phocion Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 11:24 am
Way to go Willowcreek Community Church!

Comment by Union Man Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 11:29 am
I wish they would do more mentoring big brother/sister kinds thing with the kids in juvenille detention.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 11:43 am
great idea here too need more of it, especillay at Tams. one of the downside to rural prisons, not a lot
of other stuff around

Comment by Ghost Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 11:44 am
Good on Dart for staffing up with good people and then trusting them to enable good work.

Comment by Dirty Red Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 11:50 am
Humanity can address the problem of inhumanity?

Whodduhthunkit?

– MrJM

Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 12:16 pm
==Humanity can address the problem of inhumanity?

Whodduhthunkit?==

Apparently, not Dart.

Comment by crazybleedingheart Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 12:19 pm
I suppose props to Dart could be due for simply allowing this to happen, but this is not a Sheriff’s Office program or other government program. This is a church ministry based entirely on evangelism and scripture study. I’ve always argued to friends and conservatives in the church that most social programs could be eliminated if the church (universal - not any particular denomination) would step in and do what the New Testament spells out.

Comment by Anon Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 12:57 pm
Happened in Brazil, too, in the 1990’s when a whole prison was handed over to a Christian organization.

Prison Fellowship wrote about it.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 3:25 pm
- 47th Ward @ 11:02 am:

I hope the guards get your message!

Comment by Mama Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 5:20 pm
–The Malachi Dads program originated in a Louisiana State Penitentiary, the notorious Angola prison.–

The concept has been around a while. I can recall a PBS doc on the Angola group about ten years ago.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 6:08 pm
More like this please

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Mar 14, 16 @ 7:56 pm