Broken Shackles is a volunteer Christian jail and prison ministry in Bend, Oregon ​that supports inmates and their families.
While in Deschutes County Jail (DCJ), ministry begins with a "kite". A kite is a written request for a visit with the Chaplain. We meet at the DCJ Visitor Center and talk over the phone, through a glass window. Restricted to 25 minutes, we quickly get down to business - life and current circumstances. Inmates are ready to talk about their spiritual life with the Chaplain, to get good counsel, solve practical problems, and always a few verses from the Bible.
In addition, we write letters, call families, provide Bibles and books, reading glasses, and information on community resources. If they are sent "upstate" to serve longer sentences in Oregon prisons, there is also opportunity to continue long-term relationships through letter writing and visits.
As inmates leave the system, there is the practical help of a ride to a shelter, a bus ticket, or finding a good bicycle. Re-entry into the community is an essential part of Broken Shackles, with connection to homeless shelters, rehabilitation programs, jobs, and churches.
Chaplain Steve Bascom
Chaplain Steve Bascom grew up in a family where prison ministry was part of the household. In the 1960's, Steve's father, Harry, was the Director of Chaplains at Christian Jail Workers, which served Los Angeles County Jail. The family helped their Dad stuff envelopes with his quarterly newsletter named "Broken Shackles." In addition, the Bascom family helped clean and prepare a "half-way house" for inmates that needed housing as they transitioned to normal life. They also participated in various local youth programs connected with the jail ministry. These real life experiences and stories of recovery and hope for inmates were not forgotten. They were seeds of inspiration for Steve's future.
Steve graduated from Simpson Bible College in San Francisco, CA in 1980. After moving to Oregon that year, he spent the next 33 years in the marketplace. During those years, he taught Sunday School classes and participated in short term mission trips to Alaska, South America, Russia, and India. He was ordained as a minister in 2005 and was in part time pastoral work for eight years before a call of God pulled him out of financial services into full time work as a Chaplain. Since 2015, Steve has been a volunteer Chaplain at Deschutes County Jail and has brought "Broken Shackles" jail and prison ministry to Central Oregon.
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As of 2022, Chaplain Steve has had over 2000 personal visits with Central Oregon inmates. In addition, thousands of Bibles and books have been brought in to DCJ and Deer Ridge, hundreds of lunches with former inmates at the Shepherd's House, hundreds of letters and Bible studies were mailed in to DCJ and Oregon State Prisons. Bus tickets were provided, personal rides to faith based residential rehabs, and many commitments were made to turn their lives to Christ.
