PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG: Advocacy & Reentry

The Supreme Court demands end to prison overcrowding, ruling that California prisons violate the rights to appropriate medical and mental health care.

Sentenced to a 15-year prison sentence for aggavated assault, Lee Miller felt as if he had let God down. Instead, God was preparing to show him another side of His grace.

Raised on the east side of Houston, Texas, in the ‘70s, Lee Miller never knew his father.

Sexual abuse is an uncomfortable topic, but it is a terrible reality for many men and woman inside and out of prison. 

Employment is important to anyone’s success. Even more so is this true for the ex-prisoner, who faces unfamiliar, daily challenges like paying bills, finding housing, and supporting a family—often with little or no guidance.

Life can go on for sex offenders, but only with clear guidelines set by themselves and others.

There were an estimated 700,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. at year-end 2009, according to state sex offender registries. But Maia Christopher of the Association for Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) is quick to point out that not all sex offenders are the same.

In addition to the many challenges incarcerated pregnant women face, many prisons and jails shackle pregnant prisoners—with handcuffs, leg irons, or both—during transport and, most shockingly, during childbirth, adding undue trauma and difficulty.

An incarcerated pregnant woman faces many obstacles that her fellow inmates may not understand.

Being aware of the negative power of criminal networks can prepare volunteers to help the prisoners and ex-prisoners they serve. Guiding mentees to make tough choices now will help pave the way for their lasting success in life.

You may have heard this in your younger years from a parent or from a teacher in high school.

Prison Fellowship has been a leader in legislative reform for many years. Through its justice reform arm, Justice Fellowship®, the organization has fought for and celebrated many legislative successes, such as the Second Chance Act and the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

When a prisoner is locked up, the world he leaves behind does not stand still. It moves on without him. So when his long-awaited day of release finally arrives, he can’t just transition back into the same job or community that he left.

It’s no secret that housing plays a huge part in the success or failure of a returning citizen. Without a place to live, it’s extremely difficult to get one’s life back on track and to obtain necessary tools like an ID, a job, food, or transportation.

Though he came from a good family, Jerrid Wolflick got involved in the drug scene and developed a reputation as a troublemaker. After serving several years in prison in Oregon and Texas, he stood on the brink of freedom, frightened of what the future held.

Housing is a transitional service that is an important component for long-term reduction in recidivism. Nationwide, state agencies and secular and faith-based organizations are taking different approaches to the housing challenges facing returning offenders. Here are a few examples.

State Departments of Corrections operate halfway houses; however, need exceeds capacity.

On February 16, the Department of Labor presented a conference call on grant opportunities, hosted by Assistant Secretary of Employment and Training Administration Jane Oates. Nearly 1,000 individuals signed up to participate. The Department of Labor has made available the information and Web links discussed on that call.