2023 Impact Report

Transforming Jail Ministries staff oversees the work of 32 volunteer chaplains and over 60 worship teams who minister within Hamilton County. Additionally, TJM serves as the training and credentialing center for clergy wishing to gain access to many correctional and treatment facilities in Hamilton County, saving tax dollars for Hamilton County taxpayers. Our total volunteer roster includes roughly 250 individuals that require regular servicing.

Major Activities/Accomplishments

• Our chaplains fulfilled over 2,700 inmate requests in 2023, consisting of requests for prayer, religious literature, rosaries, reading glasses, and grief intervention. On top of those inmate requests sent in through kiosks, our chaplains also visited over 2,500 additional times with inmates who requested ongoing visits and distributed over 3,000 Bibles and other religious books and devotionals.

• Our reading glasses ministry fulfilled more than 450 requests for pairs of glasses to inmates.

• TJM worked with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department on background checks (required every two years), badges for our volunteers, and fulfilled continuing education requirements for our volunteers.

• We onboarded two new chaplains, including a second Muslim chaplain.

• We educated, monitored, and mentored our volunteers about best practices and protocols in county facilities to protect and cultivate the privilege that TJM has been granted by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department. As a result, our volunteers can offer God’s message of hope to those incarcerated in the Hamilton County jails, in accordance with county policies and ethical guidelines. As part of this, we led a volunteer gathering at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church to build community, share updates, and discuss best practices. We also led quarterly trainings for our Clergy Contact Visiting program, training 35 local clergy members. Our evaluations from those trainings averaged a score of 4.7 out of 5.

• “Cookies at Christmas” sourced, packaged, and delivered over 10,000 cookies to roughly 1,500 inmates and 200 sheriff’s deputies at Christmas.

• The Executive Director served as a consultant to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department on religious matters.

Financials

TJM is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Funding comes from 3 major sources – The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department, local churches and religious organizations, and individual donations. In 2023, we began raising additional funding with the goal of hiring two additional staff that will allow us to grow in our impact.

• 2023 revenues - $139,085.85

• 2023 expenses - $96,405.22