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 The program is based on the APAC program founded in 1973 in Brazil. APAC is a Portuguese acronym that stands for the Association for Protection and Assistance of the Condemned. Dr. Mario Ottoboni, a community leader, responded to what he believed was a call from God.
Dr. Ottoboni made a commitment to serve and minister to "the condemned" or imprisoned of his society through APAC. This program is rooted in Christian love expressed through committed caring volunteers and staff. APAC now operates in more than 80 prisons throughout Brazil and reports a recidivism rate of less than five percent.
The comparable U.S. program, The InnerChange Freedom Initiative, was started partly through the vision of another community leader, Christian businessperson, Jack Eckerd. He commissioned and funded research about APAC in 1990 and 1991. In 1995, Prison Fellowship sponsored a study of prisons operated by APAC. Upon completion and review of this study, PFM's Board of Directors voted unanimously to develop the program in the United States.
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