Celebrating 101 Prison Fellowship Academy Sites with Our Top 10 Stories!

Transforming Lives Behind Bars, One Story at a Time

In 2016, Prison Fellowship^® launched the 40-to-Fifty Campaign. An ambitious, 10-year journey, the goal is to establish Prison Fellowship Academy^® sites in all 50 states by 2026, our 50th anniversary.

Located in select prisons across the country, the Prison Fellowship Academy takes men and women through a holistic life transformation spanning weeks or months. They are guided by Prison Fellowship staff and volunteers to lead lives of purpose and productivity inside and outside of prison.

In fiscal year 2017, we had 76 Academy sites in 22 states. At the end of fiscal year 2019, we had 90 Academy sites in 28 states, with 2,703 prisoners participating!

OUR TOP-10 ACADEMY STORIES

To celebrate this milestone, we’ve gathered our top-10 most popular stories about the Academy. These true stories of transformation are just snapshots of the impact the Prison Fellowship Academy on the U.S. prison system.

01 – MEETING GOD IN JAIL

Shane’s drug addiction couldn’t fill the void he felt in his soul. He needed something stronger. And then he found Jesus behind bars.

02 – FROM LONER TO LEADER

Dennis expected to find a hostile culture behind bars. In the Prison Fellowship Academy, he found community.

03 – FROM UNANSWERED CALLS TO ANSWERED PRAYER

Each time in prison was supposed to be her last. But after finding herself back in prison for the third time, Jeannie understood why calls to her son went unanswered.

04 – A COMMUNITY OF TRANSFORMATION

Going on lockdown at a prison can put the entire population on edge. In a world where it’s, “Every man for himself!” can community thrive?

05 – HOW ALPHA LED A WICCAN PRISONER TO TRUTH

Raised by Wiccan parents, Josiah thought Christians were “crazy” and made “no sense.” But what he found in prison challenged everything he believed about them—and their God.

06 – HOW DARRYL WENT FROM PRISONER TO DIRECTOR

The first time Darryl Brooks entered a Texas prison, he wore the DOC-issued white scrubs of a prisoner. When he walks through the prison gates today, he does so as the director of the first Prison Fellowship Academy.

07 – WILLIAM JONES CELEBRATES HIS RELEASE FROM PRISON

This is what release day looks like for those prisoners who have found freedom in Jesus Christ.

08 – PASTOR, CHURCH PLANTER, AND ADVOCATE

Pastor and church planter Quovadis Marshall is an advocate for justice that restores. A former prisoner, today he speaks out for incarcerated people.

09 – PRISON FELLOWSHIP AND CELEBRATE RECOVERY WORKING TO CURB OVERDOSE

Thousands of people die each year from drug overdose. Prison Fellowship and Celebrate Recovery are working to set people free from addiction.

10 – WHEN MOM GOES TO PRISON

When Cassie went to prison, she knew she would miss a lot of ‘firsts’ with her children. What happens to a family when mom goes to prison?

Story Disclaimer

Prison Fellowship is founded on the conviction that all people are created in God’s image and that no life is beyond God’s reach. To that end, we often share stories of lives that have been impacted by our work in prisons around the country. Prison Fellowship does not condone–or require full disclosure of–the crimes committed by those enrolled in our programs, and we take the repercussions of those crimes seriously. Nor do we encourage prisoners to disregard the rules and regulations of their correctional facilities. It is our sincere goal to present our content in a way that is sensitive to all concerned parties, while presenting examples of men and women who once broke the law and are now being transformed and mobilized to serve their neighbors. If you have concerns about the content we share, please feel free to contact us directly

END THE CYCLE OF RECIDIVISM

The Prison Fellowship Academy is a cornerstone program of Prison Fellowship. We’re building safer communities one transformed life at a time, and you can help!

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