Freedom Is a Choice

August 20, 2025 by Lou Haviland

by Lou Haviland

Even though Jerrid is serving a life sentence in prison, he has never felt freer.

When Jerrid arrived in prison to serve out his life term, he had a chip on his shoulder.

“I was convinced that I was here to be a thug, whether it was gangs, drugs, doing it all,” he admits.

But then Jerrid’s cousin visited him in prison and said to him, “I want my children to know who you are.”

From that moment on, Jerrid was determined to make those who loved him proud.

Jerrid joined Prison Fellowship Academy®, a yearlong in-prison program that uses targeted, biblically based curriculum, compassionate coaches, and restorative community to replace criminal thinking and behaviors with renewed purpose.

“Prison Fellowship Academy created an environment where I had to be open, I had to be vulnerable,” Jerrid explains.

You may not be in a prison with physical bars and walls—perhaps your prison is addiction, fear, or self-doubt. Take in Jerrid’s words in this video. Be encouraged and choose freedom.

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Filed Under: Prison & Prisoners, Video Tagged With: Prison Fellowship Academy

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