Philipsburg – The Point Blanche Prison and House of Detention (HvB) is currently embarking on an outreach program in collaboration with the Universal Behind Bars Group (UBB); a ministerial group of The Universal Church. UBB is currently established in 15 states in the US and active in over 50 countries around the globe. The Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson met with Prison Director Steven Carty, UBB Pastor Claudio Silva, and UBB members Joseph Bell and Sadiq Kudrath to discuss the establishment of two of UBB’s programs aiming to reintegrate offenders back into society as better men and women and to accept a donation of bibles for the inmates and staff of HvB.
Pastor Silva stated in an invited comment, “The programs that will be hosted by UBB is for the benefit of both men and women. The men will be introduced to our Intellimen program consisting of 53 challenges which challenge men to become a better person. We believe that once they become better men, they will become better sons, fathers, brothers, and people in society. We are going to extend that connection to their families as well to see if there are issues that we can assist with. UBB will also be introducing a Self-Awareness program for the women in prison to help them become better women.”
UBB’s programs help inmates solve their problems through down-to-earth advice and the power of faith and prayer. They are also taught how to fight back against the negativity that they feel is blocking them in any way. The UBB makes special donations such as hygiene items, books, bibles and newspapers for spiritual nourishment to those who want to participate in the meetings inside the facility. Inmates’ families and correctional staff are also offered advice and physical and spiritual support to develop their faith to tackle their struggles.
“As we work towards efforts to restore the chapel, there is no real reason we can’t be proactive and improvise to get the presence of faith, meditation and spiritual development going in the facility. As such, I welcome the outreach of the Universal Church via Pastor Claudio and the team, who are eager to connect with the inmate population. The program appears to be a dynamic opportunity to ignite rehabilitation in our inmates and this has been a void pending that I, the Director, his team and many others wish to see filled without further delay…. So here we go!” concluded Minister Richardson.
