There was more to the story!

I get upset when local area media present lopsided stories about prisoners who are finally granted release by the Michigan Parole Board. You’ll hear reasons like

-while an inmate may get a second chance at life outside, the victim's loss is permanent;

-families still fear for their safety if the prisoner is released; and

-the justice system frequently focuses heavily on rehabilitation but treats the lifelong trauma of the victims as an afterthought. 

All of this came to mind as I reflected on the delightful evening last week when some 150 people attended the annual film festival of Humanity for Prisoners. Here’s a part of the evening that only a few in the audience were aware of: 

-2 members of our staff have served nearly 45 years behind bars!

-The pastor who offered the invocation had served 34 years!

-Released prisoners in the audience had served some 60 years! 

In that very room sat men and women who had collectively spent about 140 years in prison! Only one had been wrongly convicted. The rest had committed serious crimes! The contention is that people cannot change. Here was proof to refute that notion. 

Bible stories support that position: 

-Moses was a murderer and yet was used by God to lead his people out of slavery!

-David was an adulterer and yet the birth of Jesus was a part of his family tree!

-St. Paul led a bloody battle to eliminate the Christian church. Following his conversion he not only became a preacher but also authored nearly half of the New Testament! 

The most powerful message of the evening was not that hospice care is needed in our state prisons, or that an annual service for prisoners who died the previous year is necessary. This meeting was proof positive that people can and do change! To watch them work today is to realize that redemption is a force that benefits everyone—even those who doubted it, and especially those still behind bars or who formerly resided in a prison cell. 

Yes, my friends, this old prisoner advocate can attest to the fact that the truest measure of justice isn't a locked door; it’s a transformed life! 

…no experience is a bad experience unless you gain nothing from doing it.

Lyndon B Johnson

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