PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG: Uncategorized

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.

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.

Budget problems are forcing states and the federal government to rethink their approach to prisons. More than 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, and the cost is getting unbearable.

Even conservatives who describe themselves as tough on crime are starting to call for the release of some inmates.

Straight from the Super Bowl and into the heart of Loudoun—just days after the big game in Dallas, actor, director and Hollywood do-it-all Stephen Baldwin made an appearance at the Prison Fellowship Church headquarters in Lansdowne to promote his new film.

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.

People often have “come to Jesus” moments in times of crisis, like while lying in a hospital bed with a critical illness or while holding on for dear life during an earthquake. These moments can instantly illuminate the frailty and brevity of life, causing a sudden realization of our dependence on God.

Ten years ago, touched by the need for Spanish-speaking volunteers in Arizona prisons, Maria Marin responded to a call from Prison Fellowship. But she still had some reservations. She remembers telling the Lord, “I will go willingly into the women’s prison, but please don’t send me to the men’s prison!”

On Tuesday, Judge Jeremy Fogel of the Federal District Court in northern California toured a new facility at San Quentin State Prison for executing inmates. Five years ago, in Morales v. Tilton, he ordered the state to halt all executions after he found that the way it administered its lethal injection created too much risk that an inmate would suffer extreme pain.

When it comes to education, pensions, health care, Social Security, and hundreds of other government functions, conservatives are a beacon for fiscal responsibility, accountability, and limited government — the very principles that have made this country great. However, when it comes to criminal-justice spending, the “lock ’em up and throw away the key” mentality forces conservatives to ignore these fundamental principles.

People often have “come to Jesus” moments in times of crisis, like while lying in a hospital bed with a critical illness or while holding on for dear life during an earthquake. These moments can instantly illuminate the frailty and brevity of life, causing a sudden realization of our dependence on God.

Governor Cuomo’s new budget proposes two sensible steps toward the long overdue goal of closing down unnecessary prisons.

In the last decade, crime rates and the prison population have declined significantly in New York State. Yet prison costs have soared. As part of Gov.

Alone in his cell one night, Mark Downs wondered if anyone cared whether he lived or died.

The answer eventually came through a dedicated Prison Fellowship Bible study leader, who showed Mark through Scripture that Jesus loved him and would always be with him.

Since 1985 the population of female prisoners has risen at nearly double the rate of males. Because women prisoners have historically been few, however, corrections policy has often not taken gender-specific needs into account. But over time, it has become increasingly obvious that female prisoners have different needs than men.

Until this past December, conservatives have often turned a blind eye to the excesses and failures of the criminal justice system. I was certainly guilty of that when I was in the California State Assembly. However, the current fiscal crisis, in which every state faces a deficit, has prompted these conservatives to speak out.