Prison Fellowship
Encyclopedia
Prison Fellowship is a Christian prison
outreach and criminal justice
reform organization. Its programs reach prisoners, ex-prisoners, and families of prisoners throughout the United States and, through Prison Fellowship International
(PFI), in 112 countries worldwide.
and becoming a born again Christian. In 2002 Mark Earley
became the organization's chief executive officer
. In 2006 Michael T. Timmis (chairman of PFI since 1997) succeeded Colson as chairman of the board.
time gift giving.
The collaboration presently includes ministries and organizations that vary in size and focus, lending resources and expertise to both Operation Starting Line and America’s prisons.
Operation Starting Line began as “Project Macedonia” in North Carolina. Aaron Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Corrections, invited Prison Fellowship to bring revival to the prisons of North Carolina. Its success opened the way in 1992 for Prison Fellowship to take in-prison evangelistic programs called “Starting Line” across the nation. This evolved into Operation Starting Line in 2000 as other ministries joined Prison Fellowship in ministering to prisoners. Since 2000, over 700,000 prisoners have been reached through OSL.
The mission of OSL is “to seek the transformation of prisoners and their reconciliation to God, family and community through the power and truth of Jesus Christ. We operate as a collaborative network of ministries working together for greater impact.”
IFI was started by Prison Fellowship in 1997. In 1999, IFI became a separate 501(c) (3) and now contracts with Prison Fellowship for staffing and support services. IFI operates in prisons in cooperation with the state. The state continues to provide food, clothing, shelter and security to the inmates while IFI staff provides the intensive program.
This mission of IFI is to create and maintain an environment where change may take place and to foster respect for law and the rights of others.
IFI's unique plan of restoration and progressive programming begins 18 to 24 months before an inmate is released. The program continues for an additional 12 months of mentoring and support once the inmate has returned to the community. Inmates volunteer for the program and must meet several criteria before they are accepted.
IFI stresses personal responsibility, the value of education and work, care of persons and property and the opportunity for a new life. IFI is not a prison, but provides programming for prisoners to help them transform their lives and re-enter society successfully.
and action group particularly active in the promotion of Intelligent design
in education
and in biotechnology
and bioethics
issues, such as human cloning and stem cell research. It describes itself as the "Christian
worldview thinking, teaching, and advocacy arm of Prison Fellowship." It is named after William Wilberforce
a British
parliamentarian and leader of the campaign against the slave trade. It was founded in 1991 by Chuck Colson. The Prison Fellowship presents an annual award, "The Wilberforce Forum Award".
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
outreach and criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
reform organization. Its programs reach prisoners, ex-prisoners, and families of prisoners throughout the United States and, through Prison Fellowship International
Prison Fellowship International
Prison Fellowship International is an international non-governmental organisation of national Prison Fellowship organisations from 117 countries.-Primary Mission:...
(PFI), in 112 countries worldwide.
Leadership
Charles W. Colson founded Prison Fellowship in 1976 after spending 7 months in prison for obstruction of justiceObstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
and becoming a born again Christian. In 2002 Mark Earley
Mark Earley
Mark Lawrence Earley is an American politician. As a member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Virginia State Senate and then as Attorney General of Virginia from 1998 to 2001. In 2001, he resigned as Attorney General to focus his time on the 2001 campaign for Governor of Virginia...
became the organization's chief executive officer
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
. In 2006 Michael T. Timmis (chairman of PFI since 1997) succeeded Colson as chairman of the board.
Mission
Prison Fellowship targets the root causes of crime by applying the principles of restorative justice (restoring criminals, victims, and the community) through comprehensive, faith-based programs. These programs include in-prison programs (mentoring, educational training, biblical training), Operation Starting Line (in-prison high profile evangelism), ex-prisoner transitional care (church-based aftercare and mentoring), InnerChange Freedom Initiative (full-time Christian prison programs), and Angel Tree (reaching half a million prisoners' children through a Christmas outreach, Christian camping, and mentoring).Angel Tree
Angel Tree is a program of Prison Fellowship that reaches out to the children of inmates and their families with the love of Christ. It seeks to transform the lives of these families and to reconcile them to their Heavenly Father and each other. In Jesus says, “Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me”. An estimated 1.5 million children have at least one parent in prison. Angel Tree provides an opportunity to connect with those families through a variety of year-round ministry opportunities with an emphasis on ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
time gift giving.
Operation Starting Line
Operation Starting Line (OSL) is a network of national, regional and state ministries and organizations working together to support prisoners, their families and the prison community through evangelism, discipleship and collaboration.The collaboration presently includes ministries and organizations that vary in size and focus, lending resources and expertise to both Operation Starting Line and America’s prisons.
Operation Starting Line began as “Project Macedonia” in North Carolina. Aaron Johnson, Secretary of the Department of Corrections, invited Prison Fellowship to bring revival to the prisons of North Carolina. Its success opened the way in 1992 for Prison Fellowship to take in-prison evangelistic programs called “Starting Line” across the nation. This evolved into Operation Starting Line in 2000 as other ministries joined Prison Fellowship in ministering to prisoners. Since 2000, over 700,000 prisoners have been reached through OSL.
The mission of OSL is “to seek the transformation of prisoners and their reconciliation to God, family and community through the power and truth of Jesus Christ. We operate as a collaborative network of ministries working together for greater impact.”
InnerChange Freedom Initiative
The InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) is a proven, voluntary and holistic values-based Reentry Program. It seeks the development of the whole person – spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, and physically. The spiritual formation aspect of the program is based on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.IFI was started by Prison Fellowship in 1997. In 1999, IFI became a separate 501(c) (3) and now contracts with Prison Fellowship for staffing and support services. IFI operates in prisons in cooperation with the state. The state continues to provide food, clothing, shelter and security to the inmates while IFI staff provides the intensive program.
This mission of IFI is to create and maintain an environment where change may take place and to foster respect for law and the rights of others.
IFI's unique plan of restoration and progressive programming begins 18 to 24 months before an inmate is released. The program continues for an additional 12 months of mentoring and support once the inmate has returned to the community. Inmates volunteer for the program and must meet several criteria before they are accepted.
IFI stresses personal responsibility, the value of education and work, care of persons and property and the opportunity for a new life. IFI is not a prison, but provides programming for prisoners to help them transform their lives and re-enter society successfully.
Justice Fellowship
Justice Fellowship is the criminal justice reform arm of Prison Fellowship. Justice Fellowship works with key state and federal policymakers to reform the criminal justice system according to the principles of restorative justice found in the Bible. In some jurisdictions, Justice Fellowship advances a single piece of legislation. In other places, our approach is more comprehensive as we look at system-wide solutions to the problems of crime. Our work sometimes places us in an advisory or technical assistance role to an official commission on some criminal justice subject.Wilberforce Forum
The Wilberforce Forum is a conservative Christian political and social think tankThink tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
and action group particularly active in the promotion of Intelligent design
Intelligent design
Intelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and in biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and bioethics
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
issues, such as human cloning and stem cell research. It describes itself as the "Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
worldview thinking, teaching, and advocacy arm of Prison Fellowship." It is named after William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
parliamentarian and leader of the campaign against the slave trade. It was founded in 1991 by Chuck Colson. The Prison Fellowship presents an annual award, "The Wilberforce Forum Award".
External links
- PFM
- Prison Fellowship
- Turner, Allan. "Evangelist group plans to visit every prison in nation Evangelists targeting inmates Group plans to visit each prison in the nation in the next six years." Houston ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
. Saturday October 2, 2004.