Final Project
Final Project: Volunteer Ethics & Safety Handbook and Commissioning Statement
Assemble a personal handbook you will carry into prison ministry, and write a commissioning statement. The handbook should be practical enough to review before every visit and honest about the limits of a volunteer's role. Facility names, phone numbers, and state-specific details are left as blanks to complete with the chaplain or volunteer office. Handwritten work is fully acceptable; no device is required.
Requirements
- Cover page with your name, the certificate name, and Hebrews 13:3
- My call and readiness, including the general steps to approval, questions for the volunteer office (and supervising officer, if applicable), and blanks for facility specifics (Module 1)
- Personal code of conduct: dress code blanks, conduct norms, and the nothing in, nothing out principle (Module 2)
- Boundaries statement, plus at least six boundary scenarios answered with a kind and clear no and a safe alternative (Modules 3–4)
- Manipulation response plan and confidentiality statement with its limits (Modules 4–5)
- Reporting chain with blanks, including PREA reporting and what you will never do (Module 5)
- Emergency steps card with facility blanks, inside crisis response (staff or chaplain), and outside numbers (911; call or text 988) (Module 6)
- Servant leader commitments, a documentation template, and a self-care plan; plus a commissioning statement of six to ten sentences with Scripture (Modules 7–8)
Timeline
- Modules 1–2: call and readiness; code of conduct
- Modules 3–4: boundaries statement, scenarios, and manipulation response plan
- Modules 5–6: confidentiality, reporting chain, and emergency steps; full draft complete
- Modules 7–8: servant leader commitments, documentation template, self-care plan, commissioning statement, sharing, and commissioning
Grading Rubrics
Grading Rubrics
Every rubric uses the same four levels. Your instructor will mark the level that best matches your work for each row and add a short comment.
Module Assignment Rubric
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | Every required part is done | Most required parts are done | About half the parts are done | Little of the assignment is done |
| Accuracy & Skill | Skills applied correctly with no significant errors | Minor errors that do not affect the result | Several errors that affect the result | Major errors throughout |
| Professional Quality | Neat, clear, and ready for an employer to see | Clear with small issues | Hard to follow in places | Unclear or disorganized |
| Effort & Growth | Went beyond the minimum or clearly improved | Solid, consistent effort | Minimal effort | Little evidence of effort |
Total possible: 16 points.
Reflection Journal Rubric
Journals are graded on effort and reflection, never on spelling, grammar, or the details of a personal story.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completion | Responds fully to every part of the prompt | Responds to most of the prompt | Responds to part of the prompt | Entry missing or one line |
| Connection to Lesson | Clearly applies the week's skill or idea | Mentions the lesson | Vague link to the lesson | No link to the lesson |
| Faith Reflection | Thoughtfully engages the Scripture or faith theme | Engages the faith theme | Brief mention of faith theme | Does not address the faith theme |
| Personal Application | Names a specific next step or change | Names a general next step | Next step is unclear | No next step |
Total possible: 16 points.
Participation Rubric
Scored at the end of each module. Average the eight scores for the Attendance & Participation grade.
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance & Punctuality | Present and on time for the full session | Present; late or left early once | Missed part of the session more than once | Absent without make-up work |
| Preparation | Completed assignment and brought workbook every time | Usually prepared | Sometimes prepared | Rarely prepared |
| Engagement | Contributes thoughtfully and draws others in | Contributes regularly | Contributes when asked | Seldom contributes, even when invited |
| Respect & Covenant | Models the classroom covenant for others | Follows the covenant consistently | Needs occasional reminders | Needs frequent reminders |
Total possible: 16 points.
Final Project Rubric: Volunteer Ethics & Safety Handbook
| Criterion | Excellent (4) | Proficient (3) | Developing (2) | Beginning (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completeness | All eight sections included | Six or seven sections | Four or five sections | Three or fewer |
| Rules & Boundaries | Conduct, contraband, and boundaries stated accurately with strong scenario answers | Mostly accurate | Some errors or gaps | Encourages unsafe or rule-breaking behavior |
| Safety & Reporting | Reporting chain, PREA, emergency steps, and crisis contacts correct; facility specifics left as blanks | Mostly correct | Several gaps | Unsafe, invented rules, or missing crisis steps |
| Biblical Foundation | Accurate KJV Scripture applied thoughtfully throughout | Scripture in most sections | Scripture in a few sections | Little or none |
| Self-Care & Commissioning | Realistic self-care plan and a sincere, complete commissioning statement | Clear plan and statement | Brief or partial | Missing |
Total possible: 20 points.
Quick Guide
Volunteer Ethics & Safety Quick Guide
Keep this guide with your important papers after release.
Before You Volunteer
- ☐ Each facility decides eligibility; ask the chaplain or volunteer office about its policy and any waiting period
- ☐ Answer every application question completely and truthfully
- ☐ On probation, parole, or supervision? Check with your supervising officer first
- ☐ Complete orientation and training; wear your badge; sign in every visit
Nothing In, Nothing Out
Carry in only what the facility has approved. Carry out nothing for anyone: no letters, notes, drawings, or messages. If you carried something in by mistake, tell staff right away.
Core Boundaries
- ☐ No personal relationships
- ☐ No favors (calls, mail, messages, errands)
- ☐ No gifts given or received unless the chaplain approves for all
- ☐ No sharing personal contact information unless policy allows
- ☐ No contact after release outside approved programs
- ☐ No side-taking
- ☐ No promises you cannot keep
- ☐ Know someone inside? Tell the chaplain right away
Kind and Clear No
I care about you, and I'm not able to do that. Here is what I can do. Then offer prayer, Scripture, the chaplain, or an approved resource.
Patterns to Notice
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Flattery | You're not like the others |
| Growing requests | A stamp, then a call, then a message |
| Secrets | Don't tell the chaplain |
| Guilt | If you really cared, you'd help |
| Testing rules | Questions about staff or security |
| Splitting | Setting you against staff |
| Personal questions | Your home, car, family, schedule |
Always Report to Staff or the Chaplain
- ☐ Threats to harm anyone
- ☐ Talk of suicide or self-harm
- ☐ Abuse, including sexual abuse or harassment (PREA)
- ☐ Security concerns
- ☐ Anything policy or law requires
- ☐ Listen calmly; do not investigate, confront, or promise secrecy
Emergency Steps
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| 1 | Stop the program when staff direct |
| 2 | Follow staff instructions immediately |
| 3 | Stay with your group |
| 4 | Keep hands visible; move calmly |
| 5 | Do not intervene or move toward the problem |
| 6 | No phone unless staff direct |
| 7 | Wait for clearance |
| 8 | Report afterward as directed |
My Contacts
Outside emergency: 911 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988
Chaplain / volunteer office: ____________________ Phone: ______________
PREA reporting contact: ________________________________
Ministry leader: ______________________ Phone: ______________
Accountability partner: _______________ Phone: ______________
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.— Philippians 1:6 (KJV)
Final Exam
- 1.
Hebrews 13:3 tells believers to:
- 2.
Who decides whether a person may volunteer in a correctional facility?
- 3.
A person on probation or parole who wants to volunteer should first:
- 4.
Contraband is:
- 5.
The *nothing in, nothing out* principle means:
- 6.
A resident asks for your phone number for after her release. You should:
- 7.
If you recognize a resident from your own past, you should:
- 8.
Matthew 10:16 tells us to be:
- 9.
A resident says, *This stays between us.* The volunteer should say:
- 10.
PREA is:
- 11.
When a resident shares an abuse concern, the volunteer should:
- 12.
During a lockdown, volunteers:
- 13.
Inside a facility, a volunteer who hears a resident talk about suicide should:
- 14.
Good volunteer documentation is:
- 15.
Answering application questions completely and truthfully is required even when it is uncomfortable.
- 16.
Volunteers may step in to break up fights between residents.
- 17.
Christian volunteers should treat every resident with dignity regardless of her faith or charge.
- 18.
Completing this certificate guarantees clearance at any facility.
- 19.
List four core boundaries for correctional volunteers.
- 20.
Explain how Hebrews 13:3 and Galatians 6:9 together shape faithful prison ministry.