(Click on letter to view larger image.)
“My name is Carlos,” the letter begins. “I am 44 years old, a husband and father who is incarcerated, and has been for going on 9 years.”
Carlos is one of thousands of men and women who have been a part of Prison Fellowship’s in-prison programs.
When Ann Lownin first considered volunteering with Prison Fellowship, she admits to being a little nervous.
“At first I thought it was going to be intimidating, but it is not intimidating at all,” Lowin says. “It is so rewarding, and I have met some of the most special people.”
In the community where I grew up, my father had a friend named Albert. Albert was known throughout town as a drunk, but my father stuck by him, anyway. He saw not who Albert was, but who he could be—a child of God full of love and joy.
Heidi and Rachel
“God doesn’t waste our pain.”
Heidi should know. She spent more than eight years in prison, separated from her three young children. And they were some of the most painful years of her life.
“He’s always there,” she recalls.
Coleen Gray in Kansas City Confidential (Public Domain)
As an actress in the “golden age” of Hollywood, few had a more impressive résumé than Coleen Gray. She rose to national prominence in the late 1940s, starring in classic films like Kiss of Death, Kansas City Confidential, Red River, and The Killing.
Men at the Graceville Correctional Facility in Graceville, Florida, proudly display their certificates for the completion of the Global Leadership Summit. (Click image to enlarge.)
When someone says “leadership,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? For some, the first image of a leader is a captain of industry—a visionary like Steve Jobs who has changed the world with innovation and an indomitable spirit.
The greatest gift in Zachary’s life is his daughter. Like many new dads, his whole world changed when she was born. “She was the light in my world of endless darkness. She made me see,” he wrote in a recent letter to Prison Fellowship.
iStockPhoto: heizfrosch
For the last 14 years, there have been no yard events at Salinas Valley State Prison in California. Previous activities at the facility had resulted in violent acts, including a stabbing near the performance stage, and convinced prison officials to forgo any such programming for the safety of both performers and prisoners.
Saul Green was laid off after 3 ½ years at a job when employers found past criminal charges. Today, he remains unemployed, despite wanting to work and having applied for over 125 jobs over the past 18 months. His unemployment is a collateral consequence of petty crimes that he committed over 15 years ago.
When I was growing up my father had a favorite saying. “There are two types of people in the world,” he would say, “those who need to share the Gospel, and those who need to hear it. So if you’re not sharing it …”
The words he left unsaid did most of the talking, and I always knew he meant it sincerely.
When asked how many prisoners he hopes to ultimately reach with the program, Ludeman simply responds, “Millions.”
The community reentry team connected Albert with Paving the Way, one of Prison Fellowship's reentry partners that helps former prisoners in their search for employment.
“Restore us, LORD God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” – Psalm 80:19
To restore something, in a spiritual sense, is to return it to the state God intended for it. God created men and women in His image and gave us the privilege of loving Him and one another.
Jake Grant is an intern working with Justice Fellowship, the policy arm of Prison Fellowship. A version of this post appears on the Justice Fellowship website.
This summer, Americans for Tax Reform hosted a policy primer on civil asset forfeiture. The event featured two panels with speakers from the Coalition for Public Safety, Heritage Foundation, CATO Institute, Institute for Justice, American Conservative Union, and more.
Daniel Rouleau is a student at Regent University School of Law, and is serving as an intern with Justice Fellowship. A version of this post appears on the Justice Fellowship website.
In the midst of the several controversial 5-4 decisions released by the Supreme Court in the final week of June, one decision stood out—largely due to the near unanimity of the verdict.