PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG:

In his final State of the Union address last night, President Obama told the American people that he would not allow his final year in office to be a silly season.

Among his key priorities for the year would be an increased emphasis on criminal justice reform—an effort Obama referenced as a "bipartisan priority" despite the current rancorous bipartisan climate.

A version of this post appears on the Justice Fellowship website.

In 2015, an estimated 5.8 million Americans are denied their right to vote.  Christian leaders who set policy should act to correct this affront on redemption, restoration, and hope in our communities.

In the very first month in his official capacity, Pope Francis made a landmark visit to a juvenile detention facility where he washed and kissed the feet of youth. During his upcoming visit to the U.S., he will be visiting a prison again, this time in Philadelphia.

The following article originally appeared on the Pretrial Justice Institute website, and appears here with permission.

Joe has not been convicted of a crime. He’s innocent, in fact, but he’s still in jail. He’s been sitting there for over two months now, waiting to appear before a judge, waiting for the chance to prove his innocence, but his trial date is nowhere in sight, and he doesn’t have the money to post bond.

A version of this article originally appeared on the Justice Fellowship website.

“I agree with you; I want to do it; now make me do it.”

So President Franklin Roosevelt is believed to have replied when labor leaders asked him for executive action.

After years of work to limit astronomical phone rates in jails and prisons, we have reached a significant milestone!  At today’s open meeting in Washington, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 2-1 to cut the rates that prisoners and their families pay for interstate phone calls. 

We are pleased to announce that the U.S. House Appropriations Committee honored Chuck Colson with a task force on federal corrections. The Committee has set aside funds in the FY2014 spending bill to establish the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections to make recommendations to increase public safety, improve offender accountability, reduce recidivism, address victims’ services, and control costs.