For many men and women with criminal convictions, the road to move beyond the past and become contributing members of their communities is filled with hurdles and potholes. In addition to the stigma associated with having a criminal record, there are numerous legal impediments that prevent these people from obtaining work licenses, voting in elections, or even advancing to job interviews.
There are certain sounds that most of us associate with prisons: the metal clank of a cell door closing, the thud of heavy-booted corrections officers walking the corridors, the voices of angry prisoners echoing against the bare cement walls.
What you might not expect, however, are four-part vocal harmonies.
The popular blog Humans of New York specializes in producing quick little vignettes to accompany pictures of random faces in the crowd around New York City. The stories are short, but powerful reminders of the humanity of the people we often fail to notice in our everyday lives.
John Jennings stood in the courtroom, looking into the eyes of the man who had murdered his son. This man had been his son’s friend, but one night, this “friend” took John’s son into the woods, demanded his money, and shot him.
The Albuquerque Business First journal recently asked its readers a probing question—would you hire someone who had just been released from prison?
Responses were predictably varied, with many respondents answering affirmatively. Those that did say they would hire a former prisoner typically cited the importance of second chances and a need to break the cycle of recidivism.
In January 2014, the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections was established to examine the challenges facing the federal corrections system and to propose practical solutions to those challenges. Named after the Prison Fellowship founder, the task force sought answers for some of the biggest problems facing federal prisons, including growing prison populations, high rates of recidivism, and the increasing costs of incarceration.
"Many of us, and I am one of them, firmly believe that you cannot just lock people up and incarcerate them and expect their substance abuse issues to go away. It's just not working anymore," admitted Massachusetts District Court Justice Mary Heffernan in a recent feature by The Marshall Project on sentencing alternatives for female addicts.
In his final State of the Union address last night, President Obama told the American people that he would not allow his final year in office to be a silly season.
Among his key priorities for the year would be an increased emphasis on criminal justice reform—an effort Obama referenced as a "bipartisan priority" despite the current rancorous bipartisan climate.
We often hear stories about how Angel Tree reconnected a child recipient with his or her incarcerated parent. But in this story from California, Angel Tree reconnected a volunteer with her formerly incarcerated father. We received the following personal account right before Christmas.
Statistically speaking, the Central City neighborhood in New Orleans is one of the most crime-plagued communities in the country. It has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the Crescent City, and is the most incarcerated neighborhood, in the most incarcerated parish, in the most incarcerated state per capita in the nation.
There are many hurdles facing the men and women returning to society from a period of incarceration. For some, there are ongoing struggles with addiction that must be addressed in order to avoid a return to prison. For others, there is a need to learn skills or trades that will help them become productive, contributing members of society.
We talk a lot at Prison Fellowship about the children of prisoners—those we have come to refer to as the silent or forgotten victims of crime. Those who suffer because of their loved ones poor choices. But there is another group of people who might be even less remembered as the victims of crime. The parents of the perpetrators.
Last week, ABC News’ “Nightline” program aired a story about the “One Day with God” program at E. C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Michigan. Forgiven Ministry, a ministry partner with Prison Fellowship, organized the program. To watch the video, click here.
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