Texas state prison inmates will be able to attend a Baptist seminary from behind bars and minister to fellow offenders after graduation in a new program starting next week at the Darrington Unit in Rosharon.

The four-year seminary program sponsored by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and the Heart of Texas Foundation is the first of its kind in Texas and is based on a similar program at Angola Prison in Louisiana. It will kick off Monday with a convocation ceremony at Darrington for the first 40 inmates who have been accepted as students.

"Part of our core mission is promoting positive change in offender behavior and this collaboration provides that opportunity," said Brad Livingston, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. "The men who complete this four-year program will be a powerful voice to other inmates seeking to get their lives back on track, and will aid us in successfully reintegrating these inmates back into society."

To qualify, the students had to have high school diplomas or GED credentials, clean behavioral records for at least a year, a minimum of 10 years remaining until they're eligible for parole, and a desire to serve other inmates. They will earn Bachelors of Science degrees in biblical studies and go on to minister to inmates at other prisons.

"The idea here is that these are long-term offenders," said Benjamin Phillips, director of the new Darrington Extension of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. "They will have a long time to invest in the system before they leave - if they do get out. They are the people who will make a difference in the internal culture of the Texas prison system, and that then will have an effect when guys get out, so it's a longer term strategy, if you will."

Louisiana provided model

State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, championed the program along with his colleague, John Whitmire, D-Houston, after the lawmakers visited Angola Prison last year to observe a similar program, which has been credited for a 70 percent reduction in violence at Angola since it started in 1995.

"We were both blown away," Patrick said. "We were able to walk freely in that prison where almost everyone there is serving 50 years or more - major, major criminals. The first night we were there, we went to a gospel chapel service. It was just us. There were no guards. I don't know that you could do that in a Texas prison."

Both lawmakers were stunned to discover there is no cursing at Angola.

"No cursing! And I'm not just talking about the people in the program, but throughout the unit," Whitmire said.

"I'm here to tell you I went there as a cynic and came back as a huge supporter," he said. "If it works at Darrington as I hope it will, it will hopefully spread to other units."

Organizers describe the program as non-denominational, and there are no requirements to be Baptist or to convert to participate or graduate. But civil liberty groups have raised concerns that it could violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

"On the one hand I think we're very encouraged that they're providing programming for inmates," said Dotty Griffith, public education director for Texas ACLU. "At the same time it does appear to be very sectarian in nature … I think it gives us some concerns about separation issues because it seems to exclude other faiths and it would exclude prisoners who might want to study a different denomination or a different religion altogether."

No taxpayer funds used

The program appears to overstep the permissible bounds of religious chaplaincy programs in prisons, which are not supposed to proselytize, said Alex Luchenitser, senior litigation counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

"Imagine the public outcry that would arise if the state were to partner with Muslim institutions and train them to be imams and turn them out to minister Islam to other inmates," Luchenitser said.

Patrick said he doesn't anticipate any problems because the program is voluntary and relies on private donations, not taxpayer money.

The nonprofit Heart of Texas Foundation has raised startup funds of about $150,000 from congregations and individuals to pay for a library, teachers, and equipment. The annual budget will total about $100,000.

"We're offering a free college degree to long-serving prisoners who want to become pastors so they can help change cultures of prisons, and anyone who would object to that would have to explain to me why wanting to make our community safer and our prisons safer is a bad idea," Patrick said.

Whitmire said he would support all faiths to be able to have similar opportunities in Texas prisons.

"We want a better person released than the one we received and if faith has something to do with that, then hey, I'm on board," he said.

lindsay.wise@chron.com