The scene is one familiar to Christians. A pastor stands next to a man partially submerged in water. With “Amazing Grace” playing in the background, the preacher intones, “As a confession [sic] of your faith that Jesus Christ is head of your life… I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
To for a free download of Idalee’s song, “Heal,” visit www.idalee.com/heal.
Last week, Prison Fellowship, in partnership with singer-songwriter Idalee, released “Heal,” a music video and documentary recorded at the Carol Vance correctional facility outside of Houston, Texas. Idalee performed his new song with a band composed of residents from the facility, in front of an audience of their fellow prisoners.
For many men and women with criminal convictions, the road to move beyond the past and become contributing members of their communities is filled with hurdles and potholes. In addition to the stigma associated with having a criminal record, there are numerous legal impediments that prevent these people from obtaining work licenses, voting in elections, or even advancing to job interviews.
There are certain sounds that most of us associate with prisons: the metal clank of a cell door closing, the thud of heavy-booted corrections officers walking the corridors, the voices of angry prisoners echoing against the bare cement walls.
What you might not expect, however, are four-part vocal harmonies.
It is estimated that close to half of those incarcerated in state and federal prisons display some symptoms of mental illness. These men and women are more likely to return to prison after their release, and to stay longer once in prison than their fellow prisoners.
2016 marks the 40th anniversary of Prison Fellowship. Throughout the year, we will be sharing some reflections and stories about the history of the ministry, as well as some thoughts by our founder, Chuck Colson. The following story describes an encounter Chuck shared with a prisoner in Atlanta.
A pair of recently released surveys reveal broad support for proposed criminal justice reforms in the state of Virginia.
On February 10, Prison Fellowship and the Charles Koch Institute released a report showing that justice reform is a top priority for more than one-third of Virginians, with 36 percent of respondents placing it in the top five most important issues to them.
The popular blog Humans of New York specializes in producing quick little vignettes to accompany pictures of random faces in the crowd around New York City. The stories are short, but powerful reminders of the humanity of the people we often fail to notice in our everyday lives.
The Albuquerque Business First journal recently asked its readers a probing question—would you hire someone who had just been released from prison?
Responses were predictably varied, with many respondents answering affirmatively. Those that did say they would hire a former prisoner typically cited the importance of second chances and a need to break the cycle of recidivism.
Last week, the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections released a series of recommendations aimed at bringing about significant reforms in the criminal justice system. The suggested reforms are the culmination of a year’s worth of discussion and research by the task force, and provide concrete ways to fix some of the challenges connected to crime, imprisonment, and rehabilitation.
For Sophia Pirelli, it all started in a Sunday school class.
A young boy in that class taught by Pirelli offered a tearful prayer for his father, who had been incarcerated since 2002. The prayer moved Pirelli, who says that God placed a passion in her heart at that moment to serve children who had a mom or dad behind bars.
In January 2014, the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections was established to examine the challenges facing the federal corrections system and to propose practical solutions to those challenges. Named after the Prison Fellowship founder, the task force sought answers for some of the biggest problems facing federal prisons, including growing prison populations, high rates of recidivism, and the increasing costs of incarceration.
When the Denver Broncos take the field for the AFC divisional playoff game this Sunday at Sports Authority Field, there will be over 75,000 fans in attendance, a veritable sea of orange and blue cheering loudly for home team.
But for one player, there might be one very special attendee that stands out among the crowd.
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