Remember Those in Prison
For moms and dads behind bars, Christmas can be a particularly difficult time of the year. Separated from their sons and daughters, these parents struggle to connect with their children—to let them know that they care for them and remember them, even when distance and iron bars keep them apart for the holidays.
One of the consequences of over two decades of “tough on crime” legislation has been the steady increase in elderly residents in our nation’s jails and prisons. A 2015 Human Rights Watch report notes that the number of prisoners above the age of 55 has increased threefold in less than a decade, and that many of those men and women will remain incarcerated well into their 70s and 80s—if they leave prison at all.
For most people familiar with it, talk of Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program brings to mind images of Christmas presents and seasonal parties with cookies and carols playing in the background. So you might be surprised to know that summer is a very busy time for Angel Tree and its mission to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the families of prisoners.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Increasingly, the great concern of legislators and departments of correction has been finding better ways to reduce recidivism—that tendency of former prisoners to relapse into criminal behavior.
When it comes to helping prisoners transition successfully to life in their communities, some of the most important work occurs well before these men and women ever leave the correctional facility. In the most recent post to our video blog series, field director Denise Harris talks about some of the great things happening with Prison Fellowship’s intensive, in-prison programming.
The week of April 10-16 has been declared National Volunteer Week—a time to honor and appreciate men and women who are making a difference in the lives of others. Prison Fellowship is greatly appreciative of all those who offer their time and efforts on behalf of prisoners and their families, whether they are mentoring and training prisoners, providing support to children and family members of those behind bars, or offering prayer and encouragement to those affected by crime and incarceration.
In the coming months, Prison Fellowship will be sharing stories from some of our staff and volunteers around the country, talking about the exciting ways God is working in the lives of prisoners, their families, and the criminal justice system.
The first installment of our new video blog features Denise Harris, Prison Fellowship’s field director for southeastern Michigan.
Having retired following 18 years as a corrections officer at several facilities in Michigan, Billy Stewart is once again returning to prison—this time as a volunteer with Prison Fellowship. Denise Harris, Prison Fellowship’s field director for the Detroit area, asks Billy to share his thoughts about his perspective of prisoners as an officer, and what is taking him back behind bars.
Writer Kelsa Battig shares how her experiences in prison ministry taught her how to better share her faith.
In 1974, while serving time in prison for his role in Watergate, Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson was wrestling with thoughts about what he would do with his life after his release.
“Here I was in pris on, public enemy number one, the notoriety of the Watergate publicity, and the most depressing thing to me was the realization that I probably couldn’t ever do anything significant with my life again.”