PRISON FELLOWSHIP: Charles Colson

When the Watergate Scandal broke, it changed American politics forever. But for one person, the scandal was only the beginning of a grand plan for restoration in America.

Prison Fellowship mourns the passing of Patty Colson, wife of our founder, Charles “Chuck” Colson.

In this Easter message of second chances and redemption, Prison Fellowship president and CEO James Ackerman looks back at Charles Colson's legacy.

It’s the cornerstone program of Prison Fellowship, but what is the Academy, and does it work? Read more to learn how the Academy started and the bright future ahead of it.

In this tribute to Chuck Colson, former prisoner Marty Angelo shares how Chuck Colson had a direct impact on his own life and transformation from disgraced producer to follower of Jesus Christ.

Prison Fellowship presents Gene Mills with the 2017 Charles Colson Advocate of Hope Award for his role in advancing criminal justice reform in Louisiana.

A version of the following article originally aired as a BreakPoint commentary on August 18, 2016, and is reproduced here with permission. 

Charles W. “Chuck” Colson was packing his bags to go home, having served his time for a Watergate-related offense.

On August 9, 1976—two years to the day that President Richard Nixon resigned from as President of the United States—Charles Colson founded Prison Fellowship. The former Nixon adviser, who spent seven months in a federal correctional facility after pleading guilty to Watergate-related charges, left prison a changed man, committed to “remembering the prisoner” and honoring the God-given value and potential of every person affected by crime and incarceration.

In 1987, Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson established the Wilberforce Award, an honor intended to celebrate and acknowledge men and women who have publicly lived out their Christian faith, and have had a positive impact on their communities and the world.