Humanity for Prisoners

I hate to visit the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan. I have friends there. I have done business there. I have worshiped there. But the tragic memories of the shameful Maurice Carter case come alive every time my car reaches the city limits.   That was the case just the other day. Award-winning film maker Nathan Roels wanted to shoot some footage at the scene of the crime for which Maurice was wrongly convicted. Roels is producing a short documentary about the Carter story, having been commissioned by Humanity for Prisoners. The focus on that story is especially significant this year. For one thing, 2024 marks the 20 th anniversary of Maurice’s release from prison. And, a group of University of Michigan law students hope to file an appeal for a posthumous pardon by Governor Whitmer soon.   I reluctantly agreed to the Benton Harbor visit.   I find it amazing that God can take this list of shameful facts to create beauty: -Maurice was arrested for shooting and injur...

As an advocate doing my best to help the incarcerated---men and women who are unable to help themselves---news stories about crime and crime victims, racial discrimination and suppression, and the idea that all of us are not created equal, have been capturing my attention this month.   Guns   Today, for example, marks eight years since a gunman opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and leaving 53 wounded. The June 12, 2016, massacre was one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history!   Yet, progress in dealing with the issue is slow, indeed. The Center for American Progress reports that voters are increasingly recognizing that gun violence is a serious problem, and that weak gun laws are driving the rise in violent crime. “When state legislatures repeal effective gun laws, such as those requiring a permit to purchase a firearm or to carry guns in public places, violent crime increases and communities becomes less safe. Elected ...

  Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. Dalai Lama   When Pastor Nate discussed our love for each other, and God’s love for us on Sunday, my thoughts immediately went to prisoners. It’s important that we get reminders about saying “I love you” to family and friends.   It’s important to be reminded that, no matter our failures and shortcomings, God loves us.   But, when Jesus gives us instructions (not suggestions!) about love, things get sticky. I’m talking about   Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.   It was troubling enough when Jesus explained to a questioner that, by “neighbor,” he wasn’t talking about the guy next door. He was saying that it’s up to us to behave like that Good Samaritan in his parable.   But then he went on to say, “Love your enemies.” Could that possibly mean prisoners? Especially the ones who may have harmed m...

The audience was rather small. Perhaps 30 people. But in that tiny gathering, there were four former clients of HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS!   We had been invited by the Holland Museum to show Nate Roel’s award-winning video Behind Our Walls   as a part of their monthly Cultural Lens series. The film is a powerful documentary featuring the Calvin Prison Initiative project, an in-prison college program led by Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary.   I want to tell you about the four HFP clients who were there.   The first was Mark Hartman, our own Executive Director. Mark served 12 years for a crime he didn’t commit. His story leading to Humanity for Prisoners is a good one. He had never heard of us, but while in prison a fellow inmate gave him a copy of my book Sweet Freedom.  Having been arrested in Berrien County, he was amazed at the similarities between his story and that of Maurice Carter. He wanted to meet the author. That led to a very specia...