For most people familiar with it, talk of Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program brings to mind images of Christmas presents and seasonal parties with cookies and carols playing in the background. So you might be surprised to know that summer is a very busy time for Angel Tree and its mission to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners.
When men and women who have been convicted of a crime are incarcerated, the sentence almost always extends beyond the prisoner. Spouses, parents, and children all “serve time” with their loved ones behind bars, suffering silently as they pay the price together for past misdeeds.
There is little debate remaining that the United States has a significant problem with the recidivism of former prisoners. Department of Justice statistics show that one-third of released prisoners are rearrested in their first year outside prison walls. Within three years, that number jumps to 50 percent, and then to 75 percent over five years.
For the past several months, Google has led a unique campaign that reconnects children with their incarcerated parents through Project #LoveLetter. On Fathers’ Day, they showcased some of the #LoveLetters that kids sent to their incarcerated fathers.
As many know, the United States represents only 5 percent of the world population while holding 25 percent of the world’s prison population.
Does your church have an active ministry focused on prisoners and their families? For most congregations in the United States, the answer to that question is “no.”
A new study by LifeWay Research reveals that while more than four out of five pastors have visited a correctional facility at some time, and virtually all believe it is the Church’s responsibility to help returning prisoners and care for their families, few have contact with current or former prisoners as a regular part of their ministry.
A version of the following interview originally appeared in Inside Journal, Prison Fellowship’s quarterly publication for men and women behind bars.
Nationwide, one out of every 28 kids has a parent behind bars, resulting in many separated families. Since 1982 Angel Tree, a Prison Fellowship program started by a former bank robber, has given parents an opportunity to restore and strengthen relationships with their children.
When a mom or dad is sentenced to time behind bars, the intent is to punish that person for criminal behavior, and, hopefully, to deter them from future crimes. What is too often forgotten is that while they might go to prison alone, incarcerated parents aren’t the only ones that pay the price for their past behavior.
For many of us, some of our earliest memories involve sitting on the couch and listening to mom read us stories about fanciful characters and faraway places. We remember those moments dearly, often holding onto those books and eventually reading them to our own children.
Joey and Leah
It was a big occasion every year. Each Christmas, Leah’s grandparents and aunts and uncles were eager to find out what gifts she had received from her dad.
“Christmas for our family is just huge in general. This gave Leah just something to look forward to, so that she wasn’t an outsider in the family,” explains Roni, Leah’s mom.
For the over 2.7 million kids in the United States under the age of 18 with an incarcerated parent, children’s books depicting families with with mom and dad both at home ring a little hollow. Rarely do they see characters struggling with the absence of a parent, or the embarrassment that comes with admitting that mom or dad are in prison.
Every year, we look forward to receiving letters from those who were touched by Angel Tree during the most recent Christmas season. Particularly, we love hearing from prisoner parents who express how Angel Tree helped strengthen or rebuild a relationship with their children.
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.
By the time she turned 27, Mary Kay Beard had established herself as one of the most notorious criminals in the country. Along with her husband, Mary Kay was wanted in four states for a string of bank robberies and was the target of a mafia “hit” for double-crossing the mob on a diamond heist.
A photo taken during the spring break before Mercedes’ husband was incarcerated.
Loneliness could hardly describe the feeling Mercedes experienced when her husband was arrested. Isolation was probably closer to it.
Not only did she and her two daughters lose their main source of income, but she said she also lost the respect of her friends and family.
For many family members of incarcerated men and women, the barriers to staying in contact with their loved ones behind bars can be tough to overcome. Separated by long distances and inflexible schedules, these families ultimately lose touch with each other, depriving prisoners of the support and encouragement needed to make a break from past behavior and to successfully endure the time spent in prison.