PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG

Topping the list of complaints that many prisoners have is not the snoring of their cellmates or the quality of the food, but the difficulty and expense of making telephone calls.

Cell phones are forbidden—and rightly so—and most prisoners have only a few hours a day to use prison payphones.

The Bible’s book of Acts ends with chapter 28. But that didn’t stop Dr. David Osterlund from starting a newsletter called Acts 29—“because we’re writing a new chapter here in South Carolina,” he explains with enthusiasm.

In December 2008, for example, 15 newly commissioned missionaries headed out to spread the hope and power of Jesus Christ within a culture most would find foreign and fearsome: the prison culture.The

He screamed. He jumped up and down. And then the 11-year-old unashamedly cried as he inserted the ear buds of his new MP3 player and heard his father’s voice.

“It was like having his father right there,” says Angela* of her grandson Tony whom she cares for while his dad—her son—serves time in prison.

Creating Criminal Justice Reform One State at a Time

Prisons are the only businesses that succeed by failing.

In the United States, failed corrections systems cost taxpayers $68 billion a year and return approximately 50 percent of ex-offenders back to prison within three years.

The Ugly Truth about Sexual Abuse of Juveniles in Detention A Call to Government to Put a Stop to It—Now

The U.S. Department of Justice recently released Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09. The report found that 12 percent of juveniles in custody had been sexually assaulted in the prior year.

For the first time in years, Eddie whispered, “God, please don’t let me die.” Something profound happened. That whisper for intervention moved Eddie from being a hardened crook on one side of the cross to the other side, just as the criminal long ago cried out: “Today, remember me in paradise.”

What makes an effective mentoring relationship?

A 2001 research study by the National Resilience Resource Center, University of Minnesota1, includes some important revelations that can help guide volunteers who mentor prisoners, ex-prisoners, and children of prisoners.

The study investigated the mentoring practices of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, the oldest and one of the most reputable mentoring programs for adolescents.

Soon after Pat Nolan was released from a California State Prison, he found himself seated at a deli with some friends. Nolan, a 15-year veteran of the California State Assembly, and four-time Republican Assembly leader, had served 25 months after being targeted for a campaign contribution he received as part of an FBI sting.

Special Angel Tree® Edition of Tanked! Available

In the span of one year, William H. “Tank” Black went from setting the record for having the most first-round picks in the NFL draft represented by a single agent, to sitting behind bars on accusations of stealing from his clients, money-laundering, securities fraud, and illegally paying money to college players to win their business.

Learn about prison culture from those who have been there.