In case you missed it, here's what's happening at Prison Fellowship® and in criminal justice reform.
WOMEN UNSHACKLED
On Tuesday, the Women Unshackled conference was held in Washington, D.C., with the aim of addressing the challenges that women face in the criminal justice system.
The conference was a bipartisan event hosted by the Justice Action Network and the Brennan Center for Justice. Governor Mary Fallin, R-Okla., senators Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Prison Fellowship's own Vice President of Government Affairs Heather Rice-Minus participated in the panel discussions.
"Reentry really needs to start far before people are back in their communities," Rice-Minus explained during a panel discussion on "The Need for Female-Focused Reentry Programs." "We need to be giving people the skills and the connections to their family as soon as the arrest starts, before someone lands in prison. … We [also] need to look at programs that are actually specific to the needs of women and keep that connection with children who are really oftentimes the forgotten victims of our criminal justice system."
I will not waiver in my commitment to building a more just Oklahoma for all of our citizens. #CJReform #WomenUnshackled pic.twitter.com/L4KvXHUYBo
— Governor Mary Fallin (@GovMaryFallin) July 20, 2017
Prison Fellowship is working diligently in the state of Oklahoma and applauds Gov. Fallin for her strong, conservative leadership in criminal justice reform. You can learn more about what's going on in Oklahoma and across the nation by following this link.
To watch video of the conference, including Rice-Minus' panel discussion, click here.
THE JUSTICE DECLARATION
Have you declared your support for the Justice Declaration yet? Visit JusticeDeclaration.org to join over 2,000 individual Christians who have signed since the June 20 launch!
Spread the word about the Justice Declaration by utilizing Prison Fellowship's social media toolkit. After you sign the Declaration, post on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter why you have declared your support. Be sure to use our hashtags #ISigned and #JusticeDeclaration.
PRISON FELLOWSHIP ACQUIRES DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY PRISON MINISTRY
Prison Fellowship is expanding its outreach to even more incarcerated women with the acquisition of Daughters of Destiny.
The Florida-based organization equips local churches, women's groups, and individuals to lead incarcerated women out of personal and spiritual brokenness through the love of Jesus. Prison Fellowship will integrate Daughters of Destiny's program best practices into its existing outreach to women in prison. Annie Goebel, one of the founders, is joining Prison Fellowship as part of the transition. To learn more about this development, please read our press release.