Event organizers in Philadelphia got more interest than they expected when over 3,000 individuals arrived at the Municipal Services building for a job fair for former inmates.
The crowd, which was three times that expected by city officials, greatly exceeded the capacity of the intended facilities, and resulted in the eventual postponing of the event.
It is an ongoing problem for inmates being released from prison. As soon as they leave prison life behind, they find themselves in a difficult job market, often with a limited skill set, and with a resumé with a noticeable hole in the timeline.
At a graduation ceremony for students completing Prison Fellowship’s four-year Prisoners to Pastors program, a tearful dad confessed to me, “I thought my son would never complete anything but a prison sentence!”
We were at South Bay Correctional Institution in Florida.
Recently I met Randy, a quiet, unsung hero of the effort to bring men and women safely back into our communities. Randy’s background is not exceptional. He’s a carpenter without a college education. He’s a former addict. But when we talked, he was just about to open his sixteenth transitional home to keep a roof over the head of former prisoners.
A recent article in the Weekly Standard proclaims the Republican Party the “party of prison reform.” The story looks at a number of conservative legislators and policy makers who are actively pushing for changes in the current correctional system, including reducing prison populations, improving reentry opportunities, and mental health reforms.
"I delivered my baby girl, shackled to a hospital bed, in a vulnerable position exposed to all, without family and only corrections officers by my side."
Audrey Fay
I am not sure what prevented me from committing suicide. I had traveled a long, lonely road. I let circumstances from my childhood and young adult life boil inside me, until I felt angry at the whole world. I had thought that if I helped everyone around me and did everything they asked of me, they would like me, and I would find the happiness I craved.
The cover of the most recent Harvard Magazine proclaims it in large letters: “America’s Prison Problem.”
The accompanying article by Elizabeth Gudrais does a good job describing the current state of prisons in the United States. The author effectively shows that the current system is both inefficient and ineffective.
Whether it’s the debt ceiling, gun control, or other hot topics in politics, it seems like Congress is paralyzed by partisan gridlock. However, Justice Fellowship – the advocacy arm of Prison Fellowship Ministries – is excited to be part of fostering growing bipartisan agreement on criminal justice reform, an issue that has bitterly divided liberals and conservatives for years.
Cary White, one of the first graduates of the Prisoners to Pastors program (a joint effort between Prison Fellowship and World Impact), has released a new book for Christians considering entering full-time ministry.
The book, Spiritual Foundations of the Christian Worker: The Life of Timothy Curriculum (Volume 1), is intended as a workbook for individual or group study.
Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program brought Chris back together with his son.
We first brought you the story of the Cleveland family in 2010. Recently, Prison Fellowship caught up with the father-son Angel Tree duo to learn how they are doing today.
A new faith-based dormitory is scheduled to open at the Muskegon Correctional Facility in Michigan later this month. The facility will be run by Prison Fellowship staff, and will seek to prepare inmates to return to life outside of prison, fully reconciled to their families and their communities.
In case the unceasing barrage of political advertisements hasn’t given it away yet, we are fast approaching another national election. Everywhere you look – be it television, radio, print, or even digital media – there is a saturation of appeals for citizens to go out and support this candidate or this issue.
The growth of The Urban Minisitry Initiative (TUMI) program in California prisons continues to get great national coverage. A recent Associated Press article looks at the effect the program has had in the lives of current inmates, and considers the impact such a program could have in society.
Ex-Prisoners and Their Struggle to Make Decisions
When Pat Nolan got out of prison, some friends took him to lunch at a local deli. What was meant to be a simple, pleasant outing detoured into an excruciating debacle for Pat. As he recounts:
The waiter came over to take our orders.