ALPHA PRISONS STR ATEG Y
Alpha is run in prisons in
55 COUNTRIES around the world.
In 2016, over 45,000 people tried Alpha in more than 800 prisons.
“On Alpha, I started taking responsibility for my actions and wanted to lead a better life. Alpha was fantastic for me. It changed my life. Reading the Bible and praying have become really important for me. I gave my body, heart and soul to Jesus.” – Inmate, Spain
VISION AND MISSION Alpha’s mission is to equip and serve the Church in its mission to help people discover and develop a relationship with Jesus Christ through Alpha. As we train and equip local leaders to run Alpha in the prison context, not only are we seeing inmates’ lives transformed, but also churches are changed and renewed. A culture of compassion and reliance on Holy Spirit develop, and leaders are released.
STRATEGY With a high turn-over of prison staff, running Alpha in prisons is often challenging for National Alpha Offices (NAO) to manage and sustain effectively. We have seen that the most sustainable model is for the local church to run Alpha in prisons. After initial training from the NAO, the church is free to liaise with the prison, raise up new volunteers, and take responsibility for running Alpha in their local prison.
REINTEGRATION Successful reintegration into society is one of the most important factors in ensuring a prisoner does not re-offend. Through churches running Alpha in their local prisons, relationships are formed between the volunteers and the inmates. These churches often then begin to support the prisoners on their release, welcoming them into their community.
“As followers of Christ, we are called to show mercy to those in prison. Alpha has proved to be a wonderful tool for the Church to take the gospel into prisons across the world.” – Bishop Grzegorz Rys Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Kraków, Poland
alpha.org/prisons prisons@alpha.org
ALPHA PRISON COORDINATORS The NAOs that have seen the most growth in this context are the ones that have appointed an Alpha Prisons Coordinator (paid or volunteer) to work specifically with the churches and prisons, and support the development of Alphas in prisons in the country.
TRAINING Trust and a good reputation is key when running Alpha in prisons. To ensure Alpha’s effectiveness and sustainability in prisons, training for churches and volunteers is vital. A one-day training package for churches is available for NAOs from the prisons team at Alpha International. This covers basic information about Alpha, security issues, how to build a team, give talks, run small groups and how to pray for people in prison.
TALKS As well as the AFS and AYFS, Alpha Prison Scripts have been adapted specifically for the prison context – these are shorter with simplified language and stories. Contact prisons@alpha.org for resources “Prison can be a place of transformation, and Alpha for Prisons has proved again and again a means by which many prisoners have found transformation – new purpose, direction and faith. It is truly a remarkable work.” The Rt Revd Dr Graham Tomlin Bishop of Kensington, UK
alpha.org/prisons prisons@alpha.org
CASE STUDIES In 2015, Alpha Poland appointed a Prison Coordinator and saw an increase from 8 to 18 prisons running Alpha last year. 14 more prisons are about to start Alpha in 2017. All the new Alphas are run by local parishes.
In the UK in 2016, Alpha was run by local church groups in 22 new prisons, more than doubling the participants from the previous year. In 2016, Alpha Nigeria saw the number of inmates who tried Alpha double by training churches including the Catholic Parishes to run Alpha.