Our Mission
Hi, my name is Timothy Caron and I am the Founder of Prison Ministries Transitional Assistance Initiative
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The driving force behind Prison Ministries Transitional Assistance Initiative is two fold:
1) To spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
2) To join forces with other like minded organizations to help provide the much needed services for prisoners who are getting ready to leave the confines of there incarceration and return to the community.
But there is a problem:
State, local and community agencies appear on the surface to provide a multitude of services to inmates who are pending release, but all to often many inmates do not have the knowledge of these organizations. Nor do they have access to “Accurate Up To Date Information” at there disposal.
Many institutions provide a transitional release program which includes the following:
Defining an Action Plan
Intervention Planning
Employment Opportunities
Counseling Objectives
Continued Education
Health Insurance Applications
Housing Alternatives
This list is not all inclusive but it gives a ray of hope to those inmates which need direction in taking initiative in there own personal lives.
But in a lot of cases inmates can not or are unable to follow through with these plans because they do not know where to turn for the help they need.
So in lieu of this, The DOC (Department of Corrections) in almost all 50 states put together an exhaustive list of agencies and organizations that the inmate can contact while they are incarcerated to ask for assistance or look for guidance.
This booklet lists every organization conceivable that can assist with almost every concern that an inmate may have concerning continued services upon release.
While this is a great resource it lacks in direction and guidance. It does however give the organizations name, address, telephone number and maybe a contact person to which an inmate can send a letter to request more information.
But unfortunately a lot of these organizations are so over burdened and understaffed that they just can not serve every inmate that they come in contact with, and a lot of times, more often than not, the inmate never hears from the organization. Or the organization does send a follow up letter describing there services and to contact them upon release.
This is all well and good and with very good intentions by the organization in question, but still does not solve the problem. The inmate who is pending release needs, in many cases, viable information and resources set in place before they are released. (As is the case for those pending parole)
And what if an inmate has no financial resources, such as money for stamps, paper, envelopes and the like to even make any head way in contacting these organizations? In some rare cases I have seen therapists or advocates that work in these institutions contact these organizations on behalf of the inmate, but this is very rare.
Many organizations are very limited as to what they can offer an inmate in transition. Many organizations (unless they are faith based) will not even make an attempt to help those inmates who have committed sexual offenses. So where are they to turn?
Prison Ministries Transitional Assistance Initiative (TAI for short) would like to change all that.
We are continually searching for organizations that help all inmates regardless of the crime they have committed. Through our research endeavors (which is ongoing) we have found a lot of information and resources that can help bring a ray of hope to all inmates facing the problems of reentry. But there is still more to be done, and we need your help.
But first and foremost, we must get inside the hearts and minds of these inmates and show them that our Lord and Savior is the ultimate driving force, that will sustain there every need. We must take the initiative to spread the Message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the men and women who are incarcerated in our jails and institutions.
But there is still more to be done, and we need your help. Join forces with us and help us Spread The Message of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
May the Lord Richly Bless You
Timothy Caron Founder
