One of the most COVID-effected demographics is rarely mentioned: Prisoners. Already a population incredibly vulnerable to substance abuse, depression and loneliness, the toll for safety was high — and didn’t ultimately protect them very well. One in 5 have tested positive for the virus, and at least 2,700 have died. The New York Times reported …
Continue...Jeff Pickering welcomes back Heather Rice-Minus of Prison Fellowship to talk about the church, criminal justice reform, and why Christians value second chances. This episode comes as we are engaged in Second Chance Month, a nationwide effort each April to raise awareness about barriers to reentry and unlock brighter futures for people with a criminal …
Continue...Imagine receiving a job offer. Your resume demonstrates the right qualifications. You feel good about the interview. It’s all coming together—until one thing makes the opportunity fall apart. A college graduate, Angela once applied to work at a title company in Virginia. She had the relevant skills, prior work experience, and a bachelor’s degree from …
Continue...These days it seems like we are all searching for ways to pursue justice and reconciliation. We know God calls us to “remember those in prison” (Heb. 13:3 NIV) and “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression” (Isa.1:17 ESV). Yet few churches have organized jail or prison ministries, and most evangelicals are uninvolved in …
Continue...It’s been dozens of days since Kerry Gant has seen her husband’s face. He’s quarantined in prison because his cell block is a COVID-19 hot spot. “When you’re quarantining in prison,” Kerry said during a recent webinar with Prison Fellowship®, “it isn’t like quarantining in your house. It’s not like you . . . have …
Continue...For Terri, a mother of five from Wisconsin, life as she knew it began to unravel after her son, Curtis*, broke his collarbone. The high schooler received prescription opioids after a skiing accident in the early 2000s. This was long before President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency and long before the …
Continue...It was eight years before Chicago gym owner Luis Centeno told his clients and workers he had served time. Why? “Because of the constant rejection,” he says. Luis knew firsthand what it’s like to live in the shadow of a criminal history. Americans with a criminal record face 44,000 documented legal restrictions on things like …
Continue...Today, nearly 2.2 million Americans are in prison or jail, and approximately 70 million Americans have a criminal record. Prison Fellowship® believes the Church has a unique capacity and calling to respond to the crisis of crime and incarceration. That's why we hosted the Justice Declaration Symposium in Washington, D.C., an event that brought together …
Continue...As injustices and inequalities have been exposed, there have been increasing calls to correct the criminal justice system and our prisons. What might Christians have to say to minister to those in prisons? What is our calling toward and for the incarcerated? At Evangelicals for Life, Steven Harris moderated a panel with Thabiti Anyabwile, Heather …
Continue...Imagine being stuck in jail for weeks over a minor offense—not because you pose an immediate danger to society, but because your family cannot afford to pay the bail set by a judge. You have no income until your trial, your boss lets you go because of your prolonged absence, and your family suffers even …
Continue...