A recent article in the Houston Chronicle highlights the good work being done by members of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative program (IFI) at the Carol Vance Unit in Richmond, Texas. Specifically, inmates at the facility have been renovating old bicycles and tricycles and providing them as Christmas gifts to children in the nearby communities.
“I stole at least six [bicycles] from Walmart when I was 16,” says Charles Emengini Jr., currently serving a five-year sentence for armed robbery. “I feel that, after all these years, I’ve gone from stealing to giving back, giving back what I’ve taken from the community.”
While the primary focus of the story is on inmates providing bicycles to kids, the article does provide a little insight on the InnerChange program, which offers participants training and counseling during incarceration, as well as continued assistance and support after their release into the community.
“We address an inmate’s emotional, physical and spiritual needs and those of their families,” explains Tommie Dorsett, director of the IFI program at the unit. “Once they’re released, we continue to work with them through mentors. We partner with the community in finding housing and jobs.”
As the Christmas season draws to an end, we remember that the opportunities to serve prisoners and their families continue. Programs like IFI offer a chance to make a meaningful and long-term change in the lives of these prisoners, and an opportunity to provide them with another chance to be productive, contributing members of society. Visit our InnerChange Freedom Initiative page to find out more about this program, and how you might be able to become involved.