Helpful and Encouraging Prisoner Resources

Family and Parenting Matters

10 PARENTING TIPS FOR DADS BEHIND BARS
If you have children, you can use your incarceration to make a fresh start in parenting. Here are 10 tips for you to consider.

FOUR WAYS INCARCERATED FATHERS CAN HELP WITH THEIR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION
Education is critical to a child’s success in life. Here are four ways incarcerated fathers can help with their children’s education.

INCARCERATED PARENTS: HOW TO COPE WHEN YOU CAN’T CONNECT
A list of ideas for prisoners on how to address the pain of separation from their children during incarceration.

Resources - Family and Parenting Matters

Let’s Face It
It's amazing how feelings show unmistakably on the faces of young children. They don't mask what’s on their minds. Their facial expressions clearly reflect what's going on in their hearts. That's not the case for most men. Masking emotions doesn't help build healthy relationships—especially with our children. And when our facial expressions keep people out of our lives, we've got a problem.

Visiting Room Sabotage
When it comes to prison visitation, there is something I call “visiting room sabotage.” It’s that thing that happens when you were hoping for a good visit and it suddenly goes south. It’s when, by the close of the event, both parties wind up hurt and angry and later feel guilty for sabotaging their own visit.

Prison Life Matters

CELEBRATE RECOVERY INSIDE: ONE STEP AT A TIME
Celebrate Recovery^® is a yearlong 12-step program that helps people in recovery experience fellowship through Christ’s healing power. John Baker founded the program in 1991 at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. Since then, it has become a popular recovery program, growing to 38,000 churches nationwide.

THE BENEFITS OF WORKING WHILE INCARCERATED
Most prisoners are expected to work while serving their sentences. Even though men and women behind bars are not paid very much, they can still benefit from working while incarcerated. For example, they can gain helpful skills and experience. Some programs even make it easier to find jobs after prison.

7 TIPS FOR BETTER SLEEP BEHIND BARS
Inside Journal asked former and current prisoners about their sleeping experiences. Prisons and jails are loud, and it is difficult to get a good night’s sleep. These 7 tips from the inside can provide some relief.

GIVE CHRISTMAS TO SOMEONE ELSE
A list of ideas inspired by prisoners across the country who have found ways to make the season brighter.

HOW TO BRIGHTEN THE HOLIDAYS BEHIND BARS
Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus. He is the greatest gift we could ever receive!

Practical Matters

BE YOUR OWN BEST ADVOCATE
Even behind bars, you can be your own best advocate. Your mindset is the single greatest factor in whether you do your time or use your time.

Resources - Practical Matters

Getting the Benefits You Earned as a Veteran
Of the 23 million veterans in the United States today, an estimated 140,000 are in prison or jail. And many veterans—imprisoned or not—are unaware of the help available to them. Did you know that in recent years, Congress has expanded many benefits for veterans, including disability, pensions, and health care, while easing eligibility requirements?

Piecing Together a College Education
Picking a college, earning credits, and affording higher education while in prison.

Smart Ways to Handle Your Money
Managing family finances, living without credit, and other financial matters.

Emotional and Spiritual Matters

MENTAL GYMNASTICS: 7 ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO IN YOUR CELL TO KEEP YOUR MIND SHARP
Just like our body’s muscles need exercise to stay in shape, our brains also need exercise—and these seven stimulating activities are a great place to start!

BREAKING BAD HABITS: 5 TIPS
You’ve heard it before: breaking bad habits is difficult. So how do you break a bad habit?

5 TIPS FOR MANAGING ANGER BEHIND BARS
Prison can really test your limits. Here are five ways to start managing anger behind bars.

ENCOURAGING BIBLE VERSES FOR THOSE AFFECTED BY INCARCERATION
The Bible is the ultimate source of encouragement and as such can give hope to those facing the challenges and consequences of crime and incarceration.

Resources - Mental and Emotional Health

Anger: Ally or Enemy?
A former inmate said anger is the only acceptable emotion in prison. There are many reasons to be angry behind bars: loss of freedom, disrespect from fellow inmates, and so-called friends and family that have vanished. In contrast, what the Bible says about anger seems strange. Ephesians 4:31 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger … be put away from you, along with all malice.”

Anger: It’s All in How You Think
Confronting anger and changing destructive thought patterns.

Can Sardines Be Lonely?
Dealing with loneliness and learning how to reach out to other prisoners.

Coming Back from the Unspeakable Crime

There is hope for those who have committed a sex crime.

Life of Joseph
Dealing with a tragic family background, overcoming temptation, and more.

Sex Matters

Understanding the battle with sex. Adopted from Waylon Ward's Sex Matters: Men Winning the Battle.

Solving the Puzzle of Depression
Learn more about depression and how you can find comfort in dark times.

Surviving a Secret Shame

Sexual abuse is an uncomfortable topic, but it happens all too often—affecting girls, boys, women, and men alike. Despite the tough facades they may put up, a disproportionate number of prisoners know this firsthand. As a volunteer, you may come into contact with an inmate who discloses painful details of past sexual abuse. Unresolved, that pain will continue to drive the inmate into destructive behaviors. Though you may not have a background in counseling, you can help direct a prisoner toward healing.

Helpful and Encouraging Prisoner Resources

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