One of the cruelest facts in criminal justice is that more than 40 percent of ex-prisoners end up being sent back to prison within three years of their release. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right guidance before and after they complete their sentences, former prisoners like Duane can build successful lives on the outside.
As the bullets whizzed by, Duane felt his blood run cold. That should have been enough to put him on the straight and narrow, Duane says, but it wasn’t. The lure of life in the fast lane was too strong.
Urban streets have no mercy. But God did.
Duane says, “He protected me over and over.”
Finally, two years after the night that he almost died, Duane realized that his life was headed nowhere, and he gave his heart to Jesus Christ.
For a while, he was on fire, serving God all day, every day. But with time, Duane’s passion faded. He ended up selling drugs again, and eventually he was arrested and sent to prison.
Finding Freedom
While serving time at Michigan’s Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, Duane recommitted his life to Christ. With time, he became a leader in the Church behind the walls. Yet as the end of his sentence neared, Duane knew he’d need help to escape the revolving door that traps many ex-prisoners in a never-ending cycle of committing new crimes and being sent back to prison.
At about that same time, he read about Prison Fellowship’s faith-based dorm program.
Duane applied for and was accepted into the faith-based dorm at his correctional facility, one of a growing number of programs in prisons nationwide made possible by Prison Fellowship and its ministry partners.
During the final two years of their sentences, prisoners in the program receive intensive academic and spiritual preparation for life on the outside. Each is also paired with a volunteer mentor to counsel him, and to assist with practical issues like finding a job and housing after his release.
“The idea is to bring back good people to our communities who are equipped with the skills and support to successfully reenter society,” says David Newsome, Prison Fellowship’s Michigan field director.
Duane credits his time in the faith-based dorm with giving him his life back.
“Prison and this program are the best things that ever happened to me!” he says.
Building a New Life
Duane graduated in January at a joyful service where the guests included representatives from the Michigan Department of Corrections, a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, and many other dignitaries.
A new man in Christ, Duane is serving the remainder of his sentence while assisting the chaplain with worship services and encouraging other prisoners to make positive changes in their lives.
“I never thought that I would want to do that,” he says, “but God has been so good to me, and I have no choice but to share this goodness with others!”