A former prisoner of war had some words of advice for those preparing inmates to return to society.
“No matter what the circumstances may be, we must include in our plan for life our plan to deal with life’s realities,” Tom Moe told the over 200 social workers, probation officers, and others gathered at the Ohio Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition meeting in Akron, Ohio. “Learn from your mistakes … make a plan for the future and pursue it with determination and hard work.”
Moe is familiar with adverse circumstances. As an Air Force colonel, he spent over five years in a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp.
“I spent some years locked away in a prison from society, and maybe it was for different reasons and under different conditions than the people we are concerned about today, but I believe there are lessons to be learned from this that apply to both of us,” he told the gathering.
Moe warned against “what-if” thinking, saying it was detrimental to reintegration. “No matter what the circumstances may be, we must include in our plan for life our plan to deal with life’s realities,” he said. “Learn from your mistakes … make a plan for the future and pursue it with determination and hard work.” The secret to success for ex-prisoners, according to Moe, is to “keep the spirit strong and be positive about life after prison.”
Of course, in-prison counselors and mentors in the community after release play an important role in encouraging ex-inmates and preparing them for a lifetime of success after prison. To find out more about what Prison Fellowship does to assist prisoners in reentry, visit https://www.www.www.prisonfellowship.org/reentry. And to see what volunteer opportunities exist in your state, take a look at the Get Involved section of our website.