In celebration of Prison Fellowship’s 40 years of ministering to prisoners and their families, we will be taking a look back at the early days of the ministry and remembering the people and the stories that have helped to make Prison Fellowship the nation’s largest prison outreach.
Building a new life is a real challenge for anyone returning to their communities after a period of incarceration. There is the need to find housing, employment, and support; to avoid past mistakes and old acquaintances, while making new connections to help ensure future success.
Numerous studies have indicated that prisoners have a much greater likelihood of not being re-arrested when they stay in contact with friends and family outside the prison walls. Maintaining a connection to the outside world helps to keep incarcerated men and women focused on a life to which they want to return, and keeps them from adopting a “criminal identity.”
Imagine being arrested for a crime you didn’t commit. Imagine being convicted for that crime, and serving four years in prison for it. And imagine finding out after that time served that the police officer who arrested you had admitted to falsifying evidence in order to frame you.
In 2000, Dana Bowerman was arrested for her role in a methamphetamine ring in Texas. She was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in prison—a sentence even the judge overseeing the case admitted was very harsh.
“I needed time to get my head straight,” Bowerman admits, reflecting on a life that had gone from being an honor roll student to a 15-year addiction to methamphetamine at the time of her arrest.
A diverse collection of companies is collaborating with the Obama administration in an attempt to remove hindrances for men and women seeking employment following incarceration.
The Fair Chance Business Pledge calls for employers to endorse hiring practices that provide former prisoners with an opportunity to succeed.
When Merle Haggard passed away last week on his 79th birthday, country music lost one of its best storytellers.
For decades, Haggard built his legacy as a rough-and-tumble country outlaw, telling stories of his own troubled past, which involved repeated stints in both reform schools and, later, in prison.
Rhonda Bear knows the challenges that women who have been incarcerated face as they attempt to reintegrate into society.
A former prisoner herself, Bear was fortunate to have received support and encouragement from Eileen, a volunteer who encouraged her and nurtured her Christian faith while she was still in prison.
Ever question what kind of impact a long-past drug conviction can have on a person’s future? Ask Corey Sanders and Jason Sarasnick.
On the surface, the two men appear to have little in common. Sanders, who is African-American, runs a barbershop in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
In the coming months, Prison Fellowship will be sharing stories from some of our staff and volunteers around the country, talking about the exciting ways God is working in the lives of prisoners, their families, and the criminal justice system.
The first installment of our new video blog features Denise Harris, Prison Fellowship’s field director for southeastern Michigan.
The images of prison are familiar to all of us—cold, pale concrete walls, with limited light filtering through narrow, bar-protected windows; prisoners in solid jumpsuits shuffling through the corridors under the watchful eye of ever-present guards; small, unadorned cells where men and women live out long prison terms in solitude and despair.
Daniel Geiter spent much of his young adult years in and out of correctional facilities in and around Chicago. Between his adolescent years and the age of 25, Geiter estimates that he was incarcerated in excess of 20 times.
It was during one of these prison stays that Geiter concluded that things needed to change.
By the time he was 19, Jeff Henderson had established himself as one of the premier drug dealers in southern California. He was making $35,000 a week by age 21—driving fancy cars and living the life of a street celebrity.
But all that came to an end at 24, when he was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison.
The following post originally appeared on the Minneapolis Running website, and is reprinted here with permission.
Running is a communal activity. While we compete on an individual level, everyone I know agrees that running is far more enjoyable when done with others.
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