PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG:

A new law signed last week by New Jersey governor Chris Christie will help provide new employment opportunities for recently released prisoners, according to a story on njtoday.net.

Previous legislation banned any person convicted of a serious crime from working for an employer that held a valid liquor license, unless they had received an employment permit from the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. 

The PF Racing team is training hard to prepare for the upcoming Spartan Race in Leesburg, Virginia, on August 26.

If you love to run, and are looking for a new and challenging way to compete, consider joining PF Racing for this event. 

Inmates from prisons throughout Australia are participating in a unique program that allows them to show off their artistic talents to those outside the prison walls.

Art from Inside, a program run by Prison Fellowship Australia for over 10 years, provides inmates with an outlet for artistic expression, and a way to work through the issues that have led them to prison.  Those viewing the paintings are given a unique insight into the lives of the participants, and what motivates them during their sentences.

The Board of General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene has announced that the denomination has entered into a partnership with Prison Fellowship, and is committed to increasing the number of its churches that participate in Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program.

Lucius Jenkins could have become a statistic.

When police officers arrested eight year-old Lucius’ father on charges of sexual abuse, he could have gone the way of many other children with incarcerated parents – behavioral problems at school, becoming isolated from friends and family, or even following his father to prison. 

A former prisoner of war had some words of advice for those preparing inmates to return to society.

“No matter what the circumstances may be, we must include in our plan for life our plan to deal with life’s realities,” Tom Moe told the over 200 social workers, probation officers, and others gathered at the Ohio Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition meeting in Akron, Ohio.

During the 11 years he spent in the Standish Correctional Facility in Michigan, DeWayne Wilkerson had a revelation.  Realizing that poor decisions in his life had led him to where he was, Wilkerson committed to spreading the word that people have power over the choices they make in life. 

Prison Fellowship CEO Jim Liske has written a commentary for the Fox News website.  In the article, Liske highlights the care and concern Jesus displayed to children, and urges Christians to take seriously the call to serve those who are vulnerable and in need.

In addition to providing recycling services, a non-profit organization in Indianapolis is providing the community with another important service – assisting ex-inmates in their integration back into society.

Since being established in 2005, RecycleForce has hired hundreds of former inmates, providing them with transitional jobs while preparing them for more permanent employment.  Over 360 participants have been placed in full-time jobs, and the recidivism rates for these individuals is well below the local and national averages.

A successful reentry program in Philadelphia is being discontinued, the victim of budgetary cutbacks in Pennsylvania.

Philly ReNew, a program initiated by the 224 year-old Pennsylvania Prison Society, boasts a 70 percent success rate, having helped more than 400 men in prison (all parents) obtain GED degrees and find employment.  Unfortunately, the loss of a $600,000 annual grant from the state of Pennsylvania forced the program to discontinue its services on June 15.