PRISON FELLOWSHIP: Reentry

In 1994, Congress passed a crime bill that strengthened penalties for drug offenses and earmarked billions of dollars for new prison construction. Prison populations across the country boomed as a result, with recidivism rates remaining high.  Drug offenses became the leading reason for incarceration, but prisons nationwide struggled to provide programming capable of breaking the cycle of incarceration, release, and rearrest.  

Searching for employment can be a frustrating and difficult experience even in the best of situations. There is always the challenge to present oneself in the most positive light, and assure the employer that you can be an asset to their business or organization.

Rhonda Bear knows the challenges that women who have been incarcerated face as they attempt to reintegrate into society.

A former prisoner herself, Bear was fortunate to have received support and encouragement from Eileen, a volunteer who encouraged her and nurtured her Christian faith while she was still in prison.

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.

Imagine being transported 50 years into the future.  Things that were once commonplace have disappeared, or have become quaint relics of an earlier time.  In their place are new items and technologies that you don’t understand and can’t use.  The food people eat and the clothes they wear are different than you remember, and at a much higher cost than before.