It is truly a privilege to serve the incarcerated population in the local jails of San Diego. A jail is the first place an individual is placed when they commit a crime; here, they may wait for a period of one to five years until they are sentenced and transferred to a state prison.
Time in jail differs from time spent in prison because, while in custody at a county jail, an individual faces the uncertainty of the future since he has not been sentenced yet. During this period, feelings of fear, anxiety, loneliness, and depression often take hold. But when doing time in prison, he already knows what to expect and he starts programming as soon as he arrives in prison. The anxiety levels are lower, but loneliness, depression and thoughts of suicide are always on the rise.
During my time serving as a volunteer Chaplain in three different jails here in San Diego, I have seen desperate men asking for prayer because they are unable to contact their loved ones or are experiencing fear after receiving notice of their sentence. Some are simply too young to cope with the anxiety of being locked up for many years.
Deep in their hearts, inmates know that there is an Almighty God who cares for them. That is why the first thing many ask for when placed in custody is a Bible. It is important for them to continue practicing their religion and to attend the Bible studies provided in the jails.
As I was doing my rounds in the infirmary last week, I was able to pray for a 72-year-old male. He was feeling very lonely and depressed because his family is in New York and he cannot communicate with them. I was moved to compassion to see him crying as he explained his situation. I prayed for him and gave him some Christian literature; he seemed to be more at peace when I left his cell.