Tampabay: Serving time, building faith

"We're going to show the world that when we introduce young people to the Lord, things happen," Thomas said, his voice reaching a crescendo. "Good things happen."

A group of about 30 inmates seated inside the New Hope Chapel clapped and said "amen," as reporters gathered for the news conference looked on.

The inmates are participants in the prison's "faith-based dorm," which opened last November. It is the second faith-based prison dorm in Florida, and the first for youthful offenders ages 14 to 21.

Here, authorities hope to nurture a new prison culture of strong morals and accountability for one another, rather than the every-man-for-himself mentality common among prisoners.

Department of Corrections Secretary Michael W. Moore came from Tallahassee to tour the place, along with reporters and other state and prison officials -- all of whom will be watching the experimental effort closely.

With backing from Gov. Jeb Bush and state Senate President John McKay, the Department of Corrections received about $611,000 to establish dorms at six prisons. The first, at Tomoka Correctional Institution near Daytona Beach, opened about two years ago.

State money will pay for chaplains' salaries and educational materials for character building, stress management and other skills. The state does not pay for religious literature, which is donated by places of worship.

The state has also set aside about $1.9-million for 400 faith-based transitional beds and $2.5-million for new chaplains and specialists at all major correctional institutions.

The prison in Hillsborough houses about 270 inmates. The majority are involved in typical inmate activities, studying for their high school equivalency diplomas.

Those who live in the 32-bed faith-based building have additional items on their daily agendas. They go to interfaith services, as well as services for specific religions. They pray and huddle in each other's cells for talks about Elijah Muhammad, Jesus Christ and the coming Messiah.

Inmates volunteer to take part. The dorm is open to those of any faith, as well as those who don't subscribe to a particular religion. They must have at least six months remaining on their sentences to be admitted.

Volunteers from area places of worship conduct services, including those for Catholics, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestant Christians. They are told not to proselytize.

On Saturdays, 19-year-old Jose Jover, serving six years for aggravated battery, attends the service for Spanish-speaking inmates. "It has helped me in my faith," Jover said, resting on the metal slab that doubles as a twin-sized bed in a cell the size of a walk-in closet.

His roommate, 20-year-old Franky Carbonell, is doing time for aggravated assault. He said he has learned a new motto: "When praises go up, blessings come down."

Jover and Carbonell are Catholic. Down the hall, three followers of the Nation of Islam meet often in Carlos Velez's cell.

Velez, 19, said being in the religious minority doesn't bother him. "I know how to cope with these brothers," he said. "You learn how to love one another and get along with one another."

At the news conference inside the chapel, chaplain Thomas introduced Cesar Cruz.

"I used to be a hard-headed young man with no respect for others," said 20-year-old Cruz, serving a four-year sentence for aggravated assault with a firearm and shooting into an occupied vehicle.

Cruz said he has learned morals to share with his own children someday. "Thank you so very much," he told faith dorm volunteers. "God bless you."

He returned to his seat and pulled out a Kleenex. Inmate Gabriel Leon rested a hand on Cruz's back for comfort, then rose to say a few words.

Leon said he was taken from his family at age 4 and shuffled from foster home to foster home until age 17. He started using drugs as a child.

"I had chosen to live the so-called thug life," the Miami native said. Here, Leon said, he learned that he was responsible for his actions, despite his hard-luck past. Those actions include such charges as auto theft, violation of probation and marijuana possession.

He now witnesses to other inmates and said the faith dorm enables him "to get even closer with my creator."

Moore, the state corrections secretary, said it's too soon to tell whether programs at Tomoka and Hillsborough will be successful in rehabilitating inmates. "Corrections is a lot like research," he said.

-- Information from Times files was used in this report.

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