Leigh Littrell sat in the local county jail parking lot, praying her heart out. Lord, she asked, as she tried to get ready to assist teaching a class to female inmates, help me see these women through Your eyes. Give me your love for them, because I can’t do it in my own strength!
“[The] vast prison-industrial complex has succeeded in reducing crime but is a blunt instrument,” National Review columnist Rich Lowry writes in a recent online article. “Prison stays often constitute a graduate seminar in crime, and at the very least, the system does a poor job preparing prisoners to return to the real world.”
Over 50 percent of prisoners currently suffer from substance abuse addiction, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Another 20 percent either have histories of substance abuse, were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time they committed their crimes, or committed their offenses to get money to buy drugs.
Jeffery Hopper has a picture of himself and his daughter, Amanda, sitting on the couch when she was just a little girl.
“She adored me. I was her world,” Jeffery remembers. “I destroyed it by going to prison.”
“We’ll All Go Down Together”Jeffery grew up in Port Neches, Texas, where he adopted a criminal lifestyle early on.
This Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will vote on a rule regarding prison phone rates. The FCC is considering limiting the cost of phone calls between prisoners and their families. The meeting will be held on August 9 at 10:30 AM.
Every year, over 700,000 inmates are released from state and federal prisons across the United States. The joy of their new freedom, however, is tempered by the realization that substantial roadblocks remain to successful reintegration. The stigma of being an ex-prisoner makes it hard to find regular employment or housing, and the temptation to return to old friends and old habits is always present.
There’s a solution to crime, and it’s been staring us in the face for a long time. It’s not more education. It’s not better economic policies or a police officer on every corner. Economics, legislation, and policing are all important, of course, and followers of Jesus should be working vigorously in every area to promote justice and peace, but none of those things will actually solve the problem of crime where it starts: in the human heart.
The dire consequences of a felony conviction last far longer than a term of years in prison followed by additional years of parole. In addition to those direct punishments, offenders are denied licenses for many jobs, lose their right to vote, and cannot possess guns.
“Healing Walls, an Inmate’s Journey” by Cesar Viveros-Herrera and Parris Stancell (Photo by Jack Ramsdale/Mural Arts Program)
How important is it for inmates to foster and develop artistic creativity behind bars? In a recent article for philly.com, Stephanie Ogrodnik asserts that in-prison art, landscaping, and writing programs serve an important role in preparing inmates for release, changing the way they see the world around them, and even facilitating reconciliation between prisoners and victims.
What impact does imprisoning young offenders have on their development and maturation? A new study by economists Anna Aizer and Joseph J. Doyle, Jr. indicates that juvenile detention is not the deterrent desired by law enforcement officials, but actually increases the odds of recidivism while reducing the possibility that they will graduate from high school.
South Bay, Fla.—A lot had happened in the last 24 months. There had been miracles, hard times, challenges, and growth. As 36 students in the Prisoners to Pastors program – along with 14 men completing the faith-based pre-release program – prepared to graduate, they sat under a handmade banner that read, “The road is paved.”
Prison Fellowship is pleased to announce the expansion of its “Prisoners to Pastors” program to the Cristina Melton Crain Prison in Gatesville, Texas. Forty inmates will be participating in the program, which provides seminary-level education and training in prisons.
Facilitated by Prison Fellowship volunteers and in cooperation with The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) of World Impact, the Prisoners to Pastors program offers former lawbreakers the chance to become leaders of the Church behind bars and after they return to the community.
Faced with a life sentence, Aaron could have descended into despair and hopelessness. But God called Aaron at his lowest point and prepareed him to serve.
Light shines most brightly in the darkest places. That’s what Edwin Wolff learned during his incarceration, when his copy of God’s Word sustained him. Hear more from Jim Liske about his remarkable story of transformation and hope.
Being a father is hard work. Today’s dads have to be part counselor, part confidant, part disciplinarian, part encourager, part teacher, and part advocate. A good dad has to be aware of all the things happening in his kids’ lives, and be available when those kids have questions, concerns, or fears.