Syracuse jail ministry to be explained

By KATE BLAIN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

In the 1980s, William Cuddy spent 20 days in a Montgomery County jail for a protest. In that time, he said, "I never once saw a person with a religious interest. We need to try to do more in our jails and prisons."

To move toward that goal, he started a jail ministry office associated with the Catholic Worker house in Syracuse. On August 20, he will visit the Albany Diocese to speak about the success of that ministry.

A former priest, Mr. Cuddy began a visitor advocacy program and a bail fund for those in prison 25 years ago. Today, his ministry has grown to include religious services in prisons, Bible-study groups and legal advocacy in the courts.

Assistance

When a person charged with a crime appears in a Syracuse court, the jail ministry office will post bail through a county-funded program, if it is a small amount.

If the alleged perpetrator is sent to the local pre-trial incarceration facility instead, the jail ministry offers to contact family members. Volunteers also serve as "bridges" for communication between lawyers and the facility's 600 inmates. Inmates can even call one of the office's six phones from prison for free.

About 50 people -- including Catholics, Muslims and Quakers -- are involved in the program. Before they start visiting inmates, volunteers receive eight weeks of training to be able to relate one-on-one to those in prison.

Successful

Mr. Cuddy told The Evangelist that some program success stories have been notable. "We started a hospitality house," he said, "and the first woman that ever came to us is now our receptionist."

Once convicted on a drug charge, the woman has stayed sober for 14 years. Another man helped by volunteers had been arrested 239 times but "went straight" and stayed out of jail for the last 10 years of his life.

The jail ministry founder hopes that Catholics of the Diocese take up the cause of providing more ministries to the incarcerated. He named listening and advocacy skills as the top needs for volunteers in such ministries, observing, "It's harder to break into prison than to break out."

("The Syracuse Story," Mr. Cuddy's story of his jail ministry success, will be presented August 20, 2-4 p.m. at St. Joseph's Hall, Greenfield Center. For information, call Rev. John Weyand, 893-7680.)

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