Prison Fellowship is the world's largest Christian nonprofit organization for prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for justice reform.Mark Oppenheimer

''New York Times'' (April 27, 2012).

History

Prison Fellowship was founded in 1976 by

Charles W. Colson Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as Pr ...

, a former

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

aide who served a seven-month prison sentence for a

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continu ...

-related crime.Nicholas Turner & Jeremy Travis
What We Learned From German Prisons
''New York Times'' (August 6, 2015).Laurie Goodstein

''New York Times'' (February 13, 2003). In 1979, Prison Fellowship International was founded as an international outreach to prisoners and a sister organization of Prison Fellowship. In 1982, former prisoner Mary K. Beard joined Prison Fellowship to lead the Angel Tree program for prisoners and their families. The 1980s brought additional growth to the organization with the justice reform division formerly known as Justice Fellowship. While the organization has always sought to provide faith-based programming to those in prison, the 1990s saw a rise in more intensive programs provided by the organization that sought to integrate education, life-skills, and counseling into a holistic program for prisoners in certain jurisdictions. In 2014, the organization announced its intention to visit every prison in the United States in the next six years. In 2016, Prison Fellowship began partnering with

Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publ ...

to provide families a

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

along with the gifts their children receive through the Angel Tree program. In 2018, the Prison Fellowship lobbied for the passing of the

First Step Act The First Step Act, formally known as the Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act, is a bipartisan criminal justice bill passed by the 115th Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in Decembe ...

(Formerly Incarcerated Reenter Society Transformed Safely Transitioning Every Person Act) backed by the Trump administration. Today Prison Fellowship is active in all 50 states, with programs impacting more than 1,000 prisons. Prison Fellowship programming reaches more than 365,000 incarcerated men and women each year.

Description

Academy

Located in select prisons across the country, the Prison Fellowship Academy takes incarcerated men and women through a holistic life transformation spanning weeks or months, where they are guided by Prison Fellowship staff and volunteers to lead lives of purpose and productivity inside and outside of prison. Using proven approaches and biblically based curricula, the Academy guides participants to identify the life-controlling issues that led to their incarceration and take responsibility for its impact on their community. Prison Fellowship is active in all 50 states with more than 268,000 volunteers. Prison Fellowship facilitates classes that 26,000 prisoners participate in each month. Within prisons, the ministry organizes

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are ...

events, Bible study, discipleship courses, life-skills classes, and

mentorship Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

and reentry programs. Thousands of trained Prison Fellowship volunteers across the country regularly lead small-group studies and seminars on topics such as

substance abuse Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...

recovery,

parenting Parenting or child rearing promotes and supports the physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a ...

, and life skills. Prison Fellowship Hope Events are one- or two-day evangelism events in prisons which include yard events featuring inspirational speakers, musicians, and other attractions. Angel Tree is a Prison Fellowship program that serves incarcerated parents by offering them a pathway to restore and strengthen relationships with their children and families. Every

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

, Angel Tree mobilizes local churches and organizations to minister to hundreds of thousands of children by delivering a gift,

the Gospel The gospel or good news is a theological concept in several religions. In the historical Roman imperial cult and today in Christianity, the gospel is a message about salvation by a divine figure, a savior, who has brought peace or other benefit ...

message, and a personal message of love on behalf of their mom or dad behind bars.

''Inside Journal''

''Inside Journal'' is a quarterly newspaper printed and distributed by Prison Fellowship via

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intelligence ...

s, program coordinators, and in-prison volunteers to correctional facilities across the country. Written specifically for incarcerated men and women, this publication seeks to provide encouragement and motivation, the message of the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

, and practical advice for the daily struggles of prison life. ''Inside Journal'' is provided in a men’s edition, a women’s edition, and a Spanish-language edition. As of September 2017, all editions are printed in full color. Distributed to correctional facilities of all sizes, security levels, and types (county,

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, federal, military, and more), ''Inside Journal'' circulates more than 836,000 copies per year, with plans for increasing to one million by 2021. It currently reaches more than 200,000 prisoners at more than 800 correctional facilities throughout North America.

Warden Exchange

Warden Exchange is an innovative program of Prison Fellowship that equips

warden A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint. ''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...

s to be transformative leaders in building safer, more constructive, and more rehabilitative correctional environments. Warden Exchange convenes wardens, deputy wardens, associate wardens, top corrections specialists, and subject-matter experts in an in-depth, nine-month leadership training program that examines and applies best practices for creating safer and more rehabilitative prisons. It incorporates weekly live video conferences and in-person residential conferences led by experts in criminal justice, law, business, and education. Participants graduate from the program with individualized action plans to bring change to their facilities. Warden Exchange focuses on the opportunity that wardens have to influence the culture of their prisons and support the rehabilitation of the prisoners under their charge. Relying on critical thinking, dynamic conversations, and transformational methodologies, Warden Exchange immerses participants in paradigm-changing sessions. At the core is a belief that allowing for effective moral rehabilitation of prisoners can activate real change in individuals and break the cycle of crime and recidivism.

Criminal justice reform

Justice reform

Prison Fellowship advocates for criminal justice reforms that transform those responsible for crime, validate victims, and encourages churches and communities to play a role in creating a safe, redemptive, and just society. On the state and federal levels, Prison Fellowship advocates for justice that restores, an approach to criminal justice that recognizes t he value and potential of every human life. Prison Fellowship has worked with members of Congress to pass the following pieces of criminal justice reform legislation: the

Religious Freedom Restoration Act The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, Pub. L. No. 103-141, 107 Stat. 1488 (November 16, 1993), codified at through (also known as RFRA, pronounced "rifra"), is a 1993 United States federal law that "ensures that interests in religiou ...

(1993), the

Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), , codified as et seq., is a United States federal law that prohibits the imposition of burdens on the ability of prisoners to worship as they please and gives churches and oth ...

(2000), the

Prison Rape Elimination Act The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA) is the first United States federal law intended to deter the sexual assault of prisoners. The bill was signed into law on September 4, 2003. Background Public awareness of prison rape is relativel ...

(2003), the Second Chance Act (2008), the

Fair Sentencing Act The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 () was an Act of Congress that was signed into federal law by United States President Barack Obama on August 3, 2010 that reduces the disparity between the amount of crack cocaine and powder cocaine needed to trig ...

(2010), and the 21st Century Cures Act (2016) as well as a variety of state-level criminal justice reforms. Prison Fellowship also works to mobilize churches, organizations, and individuals to raise awareness and advocate for justice that restores.

Faith & Justice Fellowship

In 2016, Prison Fellowship mobilized the Faith & Justice Fellowship, a

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...

body including members of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, governors, and state legislators motivated by their various faith traditions and committed to prioritizing and advancing restorative values in criminal justice reform. Prominent legislators and state executives have joined Prison Fellowship in pledging to advance restorative criminal justice reforms and focus the national dialogue on the value and dignity of all human life. These men and women recognize that no one is beyond help, and are committed to working for policies that bring hope and wholeness to those impacted by crime and incarceration.

Justice Declaration

Signed by more than 100 prominent Christian leaders including

Francis Chan Francis Chan ��恩藩(born August 31, 1967), is an American Protestant author, teacher, and preacher. He is the former teaching pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, an Evangelical church in Simi Valley, California founded by Chan in 199 ...

. The Justice Declaration, created by Prison Fellowship and its partners, is a statement of criminal justice principles based on the God-given dignity and potential of all people. The authors and signers of the declaration call upon the

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...

to deploy its unparalleled capacity to respond to crime and over-incarceration.

Outrageous Justice

In 2016, Prison Fellowship launched Outrageous Justice, a multimedia small-group curriculum and companion book that makes Christians aware of the current crisis in the criminal justice system, and then activates them to respond by caring for victims of crime and prisoners and advocating for restorative reforms. Developed by subject-matter experts, it weaves current events, biblical context, and personal stories into a compelling conversation about effecting restorative change. Outrageous Justice is a great tool for churches and communities looking to respond to incarceration and injustice in America.

Second Chance Month

Prison Fellowship founded Second Chance Month in 2017 to change perceptions and unlock second-chance opportunities for millions of Americans who have completed their

sentences ''The Four Books of Sentences'' (''Libri Quattuor Sententiarum'') is a book of theology written by Peter Lombard in the 12th century. It is a systematic compilation of theology, written around 1150; it derives its name from the '' sententiae'' ...

References

External links

Prison Fellowship Official Website
{{authority control Christian parachurch organizations Prison charities based in the United States Religious organizations based in Washington, D.C. Christian organizations established in 1976 1976 establishments in Washington, D.C. Charities based in Washington, D.C.