Alpha in HM Prisons

In the 1990s and at the beginning of this century I thought a lot about Alpha in prisons, particularly in England and Wales.  I found that the Alpha material did not resonate with certain inmates and a number of chaplains. They were critical of the bourgeois/upper middle class ethos of Alpha, from Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), and Nicky Gumbel's presentations. His humour and style grated at times. He was seen as a toff, and someone who lived in another world. They did not relate to his message and medium.  Some of the Alpha supporters and lovers of the Alphacrats, those who run and make the policy decisions at Alpha HTB, could not understand how anyone could dislike Nicky Gumbel.

I asked the Alphacrats in charge of the Alpha for prisons and Caring for Offenders programmes to make an alternative video or some fresh presentations. I suggested using working class converts, ex-prisoners, former convicts and other suitable people that would have a greater appeal. They needed folk they could relate to, that understood their pain and prison life. Such testimonies would have far more impact than jokes about the luncheon club, life with Pippa, challenges at the gym, or evangelistic adventures with Rupert. The upper middle class ethos is not suitable for prison ministry, despite claims to the contrary.

At the time I was told that such a project to film a suitable presentation was too expensive. What? HTB was making loads of money through Alpha, the books, the merchandise, the courses, the videos (at that time) etc. A university visual aids department could have made a decent film or video presentation at a cost of £ 1,000 per day at 2000/2001 prices. Perhaps a professional film school could have produced a series of videos or DVDs at a reasonable cost.

 Some scholars and critics of Alpha thought that naivete and muddled thinking was evident in the early years by some Alphacrats at HTB, and they certainly did not take any criticism at all well.

The good news is that the Alphacrats did produce some videos using ex-convicts and prisoners who have an engaging story to tell. There are some great testimonies to lives changed through Alpha, and it must be said by other interventions.