Do full time missionaries visit jails, correctional facilities?

[Gatsby]

Do they? Just wondering.

[Hemidakota]

Not unless directed by the Mission President. Usually, the Mission President can make the visit but it is goes back to the Area President, Regional, or Stake President due to Saints who are jailed.

[prisonchaplain]

I imagine that many jails and prisons are like the one I serve in--religious volunteers must be 21 or older. This would rule out many missionaries. Additionally, I sometimes have LDS members indicate a desire to volunteer. Afterwards they find out they cannot do so without receiving a calling. Further, at least in our area, those callings come at the Stake level.

Having said all that, I'm sure that many correctional facilities with significant LDS populations do have some type of program. At minimum LDS Family Services sends out a library kit, with an estimated value of about $215 to prisons that ask for them.

[skylercollins]

The prison here has an organized branch.

[Palerider]

The local Bishop can go into a Prison or a County Jail and visit. The local members can become a VIC(if this wrong PrisonChap can correct me) and go into the Prison and hold class or services with the residents of the local Prison.

[Hemidakota]

His question was if missionaries are allowed to go to prison.

[Palerider]

His question was if missionaries are allowed to go to prison.

yes I know......I see nothing wrong with what I posted....

[john doe]

At least in Utah, the church does call people to visit jails and prisons as addiction recovery program facilitators. They used a modified form of the twelve-step program with permission to use it from AA. While they could be called missionaries, they do not preach and most of them are not full-time.

[pam]

I have a friend who is currently on a mission with his wife. But prior to going on their mission he was called to be a home teacher to 3 men serving in the prison system in Utah.

[Palerider]

Interesting....of all the ones I visited....I was told by the biggest majority of them....they were innocent......imagine that...

[LolaBella]

Im sure that my husband visited a prison when he served his mission in England. I cant remember the exact details. I think they literally had a referral from someone who'd probably looked it up on the internet. I can ask him about it if anyones interested.

[Hemidakota]

Still needs to be cleared through the Mission President.

[Dravin]

Purpose as a Missionary (from Preach My Gospel):

Invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in

Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and

enduring to the end.

You can't baptize people who are in jail, you could only get them to the finding faith in Christ part (they could get started on repentance though) so it wouldn't be the most productive place for a full time missionary to go. It'd kinda be like continuing to teach somebody who refused to get married or move out, they can't keep the commitments they need to so you'd have to move on. Sounds kinda harsh but 2 years isn't as long as it sounds so you have a finite amount of that particular resource, if somebody can't or won't keep their commitments* you need to start looking for those who can or will. At least that's what I was taught on my mission, but missions can defiantly vary.

On my mission there was a pair of Elders who went to a jail and where told not to by the Mission President, to actually stay somewhat on topic.

*Not that such people are hopeless and shouldn't be fellowshipped and taught the gospel (aka missionary work) from members, its just not the bailiwick of the full time missionaries.

Edited March 12, 2009 by Dravin
Fixed the quote tags.

[Wingnut]

I served in several small Spanish speaking branches in California. Many of the members had been members for only a few years (actually, in one branch, there hadn't been sisters in 7 years, but most of the people in the branch had been baptized within the past five years, and they didn't believe that we were real missionaries). As such, they didn't always understand (even the leadership) that our primary functions were teaching and baptizing, not reactivating. One branch had a less active (imagine that!) member who was in prison. The elders had previously been to visit him (with permission from the mission president), but we were told (as sisters) that under no circumstances were we to go to the jail to visit him.

Can you imagine two Mormon sister missionaries in a men's prison? Not a good idea.

[bytebear]

I visited a prisoner while on my mission. It was a Book of Mormon referral. I imagine it was against the rules, as only one person was allowed to go, and so I went alone, while my companion waited with a church member (male) who drove us there. It was the only time I was ever separated from my companion, but the spirit told me to go. When I did bring in the book, they didnt allow hardcover books, so I went out and got a soft cover copy, and now I know why the church publishes soft cover copies. :) Could I have baptized that prisoner? No, but it did teach me about compassion. And hopefully some of those men could find the gospel through the Book of Mormon and repent of their sins.