Rehabilitation Programs Division

The Prison Fellowship Academy (PFA) Program

The mission of the Prison Fellowship Academy (PFA) Program is to create and maintain a prison environment that fosters respect for God’s law, the rights of others, and to encourage the spiritual and moral regeneration of inmates.

Program Overview:

This faith-based program was implemented in March 1997 at the Carol Vance Unit, through a coordinated effort between the TDCJ and Prison Fellowship Ministries and involves the use of many community volunteers and is now also on Polunsky and Crain. The program emphasizes restorative justice, by which the inmate works to restore himself/herself, his/her family, his/her victims and his/her community.

Through a regimen of life-skills training, academic instruction, job preparation, community-service opportunities, chapel and Bible studies, support-groups, and mentoring relationships, the PFA Program focuses on instilling six transformational values often deficient in an inmate’s life:

INTEGRITY—living honestly with self and others
RESTORATION—mending relationships with God, families, and community (including victims, when appropriate)
RESPONSIBILITY—accepting ownership of choices, behaviors, and their consequences
FELLOWSHIP—working together to make a healthy, infraction-free community
AFFIRMATION—giving and receiving honest feedback and encouragement
PRODUCTIVITY—learning the value of work, education, and contribution to the community

The Prison Fellowship Academy Program consists of 12-14 months of programming.

Contact:

Ashley Boyd
PFA Selection Coordinator
PO Box 99
Huntsville, TX 77342-0099
Phone: (936) 437-7356