As counterintuitive as it may seem, over the past five years both crime and imprisonment have declined. At least in 30 states.

Earlier today, The Pew Charitable Trusts released an infographic that illustrates this positive trend. According to its research, Pew found that between 2009 and 2014, the national imprisonment rate fell 7 percent, while the crime rate fell 15 percent (that’s half of the crime rate from 1991).

It’s only been five years since Gloria’s daughter was sentenced to prison for the negligent homicide of Gloria’s then 18-month-old granddaughter, but the despair she once felt is slowly melting into hope as she sees the small ways that God is redeeming the terrible.

When many Americans enter their 50s and 60s, they start looking toward retirement—that season of life when there is freedom to travel, spend extra time with the grandkids, or devote more hours to volunteering or pursuing a dream. But for those growing older behind bars, the graying years don’t look much different than all the rest—just that they are spent with increased dependency and cost to the prison system.

Inside Journal, Prison Fellowship's newspaper for America's prisons, spent a few minutes talking with Bradford about some of the most pivotal moments of his life and what he’s learned about fatherhood along the way.

One Sunday morning in November 2008, Edwin Wolff penned in his journal: “One year from now, I want to have a stable job, a vehicle, and be published on some national level.”

Two months earlier—on September 12—Edwin walked out of the Huntsville Unit prison in Huntsville, Texas.