News release from the Ripley County Sheriff’s Office

(Versailles, Ind.) - A group of fourteen dads are going through a 12-week course that will help them build practical skills that will allow them to connect with their children during their incarceration, and then successfully reintegrate into their families upon release.

Ripley County Sheriff Chaplain Randy Thieman is facilitating the program.

Chaplain Thieman reported, “I believe the time I spend with the inmates during this program will reap long term benefits for all involved, ultimately including our community. Through my experience with the jail, I have learned that many people end up in jail because of poor choices and previous bad experiences. My hope is this program, and the other Bible programs taught in the jail, will lead the inmates to be better dads and all around better people in society. I thank Sheriff Grills for allowing me the opportunity to use the program and the Indiana Department of Corrections for supplying this exceptional material.”

"NFI is excited about Ripley County’s efforts to support incarcerated fathers through the InsideOut Dad™ program," said Roland C. Warren, president of National Fatherhood Initiative. "At a time when six in ten incarcerated men are fathers and over 300,000 fathers leave prison each year in the United States, Chaplain Thieman should be applauded for his efforts to help dads at Ripley County Jail get responsibly involved in the lives of their children."

Sheriff Grills quoted, “The Bible is an important part of our community considering our founding fathers declared Independence and drafted our Constitution from Christian values. If we can utilize its teachings, then we can move forward and regain our community and country as it should be.  I am happy Chaplain Thieman is helping lead the way to bettering our community.”

InsideOut Dad™, National Fatherhood Initiative's premier reentry program for incarcerated fathers, connects inmate fathers to their families and helps break the cycle of recidivism. It helps men reflect on their own family histories, build fathering, communication, and relationship skills, and find practical ways to connect with their children from the inside so they can prepare to be better dads on the outside.

Randy Thieman, who is also Minister of Shelby Christian Church here in Versailles, began to serve as a volunteer chaplain in 2004. This ministry has been greatly enhanced under Sheriff Tom Grills. You may see what other responsibilities the chaplain has by going to http://www.ripleycounty.com/sheriff.

National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), founded in 1994, works in every sector and at every level of society to engage fathers in the lives of their children. NFI's national public service advertising campaign promoting father involvement generated television, radio, print, Internet, and outdoor advertising valued at over $500 million. Through its resource center, FatherSOURCE™, NFI offers a wide range of innovative resources to assist fathers and organizations interested in reaching and supporting fathers.