ADVOCACY INSIDER
Want to stay in-the-know on advocacy and criminal justice reform? Read on for news and updates.It's Second Chance Month!
At Prison Fellowship, we are in the business of second chances. We offer programming in 428 prisons across the country, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with incarcerated men and women and equipping them for transformation and life on the outside. Though returning neighbors have a lot to offer employers and communities, those with a criminal record are often relegated to the margins of society. When Prison Fellowship decided to launch Second Chance Month last year, we were overwhelmed by the positive response.
This year, the movement is growing. We have over 130 organizations who are official Second Chance Month partners, and the list keeps getting longer. The diversity of views represented in this coalition is proof of a concept that everyone can embrace: the one in four Americans who have paid their debt to society deserve a second chance. The movement has also caught the attention of policymakers: proclamations designating April 2018 as Second Chance Month have already been issued in D.C., Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Minneapolis and St. Paul. Just recently, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and Rep. Tony Cárdenas introduced bipartisan resolutions to declare April as Second Chance Month.
You can get involved, too! Visit prisonfellowship.org/secondchances to see the many opportunities to participate this April.
News on Eliminating Rape in Prisons
After decades of advocacy to eliminate sexual assault and rape behind bars, Prison Fellowship was pleased to see Congress include $15.5 million in funding to implement the Prison Rape Elimination Act in the recent spending bill signed by President Trump. This is a 50-percent increase over last year’s budget amount, and will contribute to improved training, detection, investigation, and punishment of incidents of sexual assault, making correctional facilities safer for both prisoners and corrections officers. For more information, you can view Prison Fellowship’s press release here.
Prison Fellowship Meets With Vice President Pence
On Monday, March 26, Prison Fellowship’s president and chief executive officer, James Ackerman, and senior vice president of advocacy and public policy, Craig DeRoche, were honored to meet with Vice President Pence in his West Wing office in the White House. Vice President Pence recalled many memories with Prison Fellowship’s late founder Chuck Colson, who was a personal friend. He noted the importance of faith-based programs like the Prison Fellowship Academy to help people transform their lives while in prison, so they can lead productive and crime-free lives when they return. James Ackerman briefed the vice president on Second Chance Month and other ministry initiatives.
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