Prison Fellowship's president and CEO, Jim Liske, shared some wisdom with Real Simple, a magazine that "provides smart, realistic solutions to everyday challenges."
When Israel was almost overcome by surrounding nations, Gideon and his 300 men encircled the enemy camp with torches hidden inside of earthenware jars. On a signal, they broke their jars, began to yell, and let their torches shine forth. The enemy army, convinced they were about to be attacked by a superior force, fled in confusion (Judges 7).
A version of the following story will be featured in an upcoming Inside Journal, Prison Fellowship’s quarterly newspaper for prisoners. If you would like to view past issues of Inside Journal, or would like to contribute to providing this resource for men and women behind bars, click here.
This past winter, Russell connected with another group of people who needed his help: the 2.7 million children in America with an incarcerated parent.
I lost a good friend this week. He was killed in a tragic roadside accident, leaving behind his wife and three daughters. I was with his family at the hospital as they said their final good-byes and went home without him.
Answers aren’t always easy to find in prison.
Behind bars, where people search for something to give them purpose and a sense of belonging, many religions and sects peddle their beliefs. In some units, where prisoners have no access to chapel services or other special events, the Truth can be even harder to spot.
On Tuesday, the case of Holt vs. Hobbs went before the Supreme Court.
The case is brought by Gregory Holt, who is incarcerated in Arkansas and desires to grow a beard in accordance with his Muslim faith. Prison policy in Arkansas prohibits beards for security reasons.
When seeking to improve the effectiveness of our current prison systems here in the United States, it is important to recognize the humanity of those behind bars. So says Prison Fellowship President and CEO Jim Liske in a recent op-ed article for the Huffington Post.
Rocio remembers it like it was yesterday. “One day there was a knock on our door,” she says. When she answered, a volunteer from a local church told her that he had been sent on behalf of her husband and Angel Tree. “He told me he had gifts for our kids from their daddy,” Rocio recalls.
These prisoners are wonderful examples of redeemed individuals working to restore themselves to their communities through morally rehabilitative in-prison programming.
'I was soon to discover that in God’s economy, I was right where I was supposed to be.'
When Gus (a pseudonym) went to prison, Ronald Reagan was president. New episodes of M.A.S.H. were still airing, and Steve Jobs was getting ready to launch the Macintosh personal computer.
But Gus is getting out soon. Understandably, he’s feeling a mixture of fear and elation sometimes known as “gate fever.”
Frederick Hutson had a plan.
While serving 51 months in prison on drug charges, Hutson saw firsthand the struggles that prisoners had staying in touch with family members. He knew the disproportionate costs prisoners were paying just to talk on the phone with loved ones.
Prison Fellowship works to bring good people back to their communities through restorative programming and dedicated volunteers. In the next three years, Prison Fellowship hopes to position itself in the top 50 urban centers for reentry. Through the development of local reentry networks and local church participation, we can see even more prisoners supported in a successful reentry process, and these former prisoners can go on to help others.
A version of the following post originally aired as a BreakPoint commentary.
The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote that “the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.” He spoke from experience, having spent four years in Siberia after having his death sentence commuted.