One of the greatest issues currently facing America’s communities is the reintegration of 650,000 former prisoners over the next year. The most hopeful response that I have seen to this dilemma has been the movement around the nation that engages communities to work together through coalitions that serve the needs of these returning men and women. With local government, community service providers, and the faith community working together toward a common purpose, I believe that for the first time we have the actual potential to help the 95 percent of incarcerated people who will be returning to our communities.
The philosopher John Locke once said, “The only way by which anyone divests himself of his natural liberty and puts on the bonds of civil society is by agreeing with other men to join and unite into a community.” There is no question in my mind that this concept of “community” in the form of coalitions provides our communities with the most effective response to the reentry crisis.
As we labor together to meet the needs of men and women returning from prison, it is important that we do so in community, where we can share experiences, best practices, and success stories from leaders and practitioners such as yourselves, in order to achieve the best possible results.
One of the primary outcomes of the Out4Life movement has been to connect resources and services from corrections, labor, employers, and local community and faith agencies, many of whom were unaware of the existence of one another. Resources—once buried within a certain state or circle—are exposed to provide the potential for an active, lifesaving network to help returning prisoners.
Out4Life is committed to helping maintain these connections and to maximizing the power of your coalition efforts. This newsletter is offered as a tool by which the networking that took place through the Out4Life conferences can be continued on a national level. We want to encourage and facilitate the sharing of ideas, techniques, and resources from reentry coalition participants from corrections, employers, state and secular service providers, and others. Out4Life is delighted to help facilitate such an important effort because lives are at stake—not only the lives of prisoners, but also the life of the community.
At its most basic level, crime is a broken relationship—between the prisoner and God, between the prisoner and the victim, and between the prisoner and the community. After serving their sentences, ex-offenders may return to their communities desiring to contribute, but restoration requires two parties. Without a corresponding reception from the community, brokenness persists. We need a restorative process that’s built around services provided through community coalitions helping formerly incarcerated men and woman become productive members of the community. This will give new life to the community.
Prison Fellowship is delighted to be a part of the national community committed to addressing this issue and we look forward to the positive prisoner and community transformation that will result from our collective efforts.
Thank you for bringing your commitment and experience to the pursuit of this vision. Together, we will help men and women stay Out4Life.
David Lawson
Senior Vice-President, Prison Fellowship