LifeLine is Recognized

One thing that we stress to our clients is, "Hard work overcomes obstacles". We know that to be true. We were also informed by the President of The LeMoyne-Owen College, Dr. Johnnie B. Watson, that we should "overcome our handicapping conditions" by embracing the very thing that we may be ashamed of. Ownership of it allows us to address it in others and assist them in their recovery.

Our Ban the Box efforts have garnered us international attention by way of Prison Fellowship. Click this link to see how God has blessed.

http://www.prisonfellowship.org/inside-out/io-issue/june-2010/entry/20/15024

The Joy of Transformational Ministry

When one thinks of prison, usually the tendency is to visualize a dark, desolate place, filled with gloom and doom. Despair, pain and desolation are considered to be the norm. Prison has the connotation of being a place that no one wants to go and no one in their right mind would go there intentionally!

Well, allow me to dispel that notion. Prison is a place that is filled with hope. There can be joy inside the cinder walls and barbed wire. The possibilities are endless. Light does shine on the inside. Sometimes, love, hope and joy are pumped in by outsiders that are called by God to spread the gospel to those that have either strayed away, never been introduced or just need to be revived in the power and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As a former inmate, I have first hand knowledge of what prison really is. Television has painted a picture that is grossly distorted because if the truth were to be told, no one would watch. Is it dangerous? Sure. Do people get hurt? Yes. Can it be a dark, cold place? Of course. But there is still hope. And prison is the best thing that could have happened to some of us.

Look at a prison. Then, look at a school in the inner city. Both are made with cinder blocks and concrete. Neither have many windows. The colors of the outer walls are similar. The only real difference is the absence of the gates, fences and armed guards that distinguish prisons from all other facilities.

So how is there joy in a place like that? How can hope exist? How can love be spread and shown where so much pain exists and where so much evil is taking place? One way is through the inmate realizing who he/she is and acknowledging the fact that the power lies within them. The other way is through volunteers bringing those things in with them. Darkness is driven away by light and evil is pushed out by love.

Prison Fellowship has begun its Transformational Ministry in Memphis, TN at the Mark Luttrell Correctional Facility for women. We met for 4 weeks, one day a week in preparation for the grand opening event that took place on Monday, August 30, 2010. In our previous 4 weeks, we began building our relationships with each other and our participants. A bond was formed that was only made complete and strong by the power of God.

On Monday, the inmates (I hate that word) presented me and my wife with hand made gifts for our newborn baby. The ladies knitted baby Jewel a blanket, a hat, shoes and they even handcrafted a gift bag. To top it off, they made cards and all of them signed their names. I was almost in tears. I was crying on the inside. It was beautiful. And it was not what I expected. I went in to bring them a message, and I ended up leaving prison with gifts! I LEFT THE PRISON WITH GIFTS! These ladies don’t have jobs. These ladies have VERY limited resources. Yet they felt the desire to be a blessing.

Transformational Ministry is one that brings so many rewards to the volunteer. In assisting others, our faith is increased. In our efforts to love others, Jesus’ love toward us becomes more concrete! By caring for those that society has given up on, God has to bless us with the strength to endure.

There is no greater joy than to see someone finally realize that Jesus is REAL! And knowing that you helped to make that happen gives one a sense of accomplishment and it makes one want to duplicate that feeling over and over again. It’s addictive. It makes life worth living. I love what I do and I wouldn’t trade it for the world! If you haven’t tried any ministry outside of the church, give it a try. The rewards are priceless.

I challenge you to facilitate change in someone’s life. Your life will never be the same.

Ex-offenders: An Untapped Labor Source

When you think of the word untapped, or tapping, it generally relates to the acquisition of a valuable resource. Its value has to exceed the cost of its acquisition, in order to make the harvesting feasible. The value comes from a well defined market for the product.

Consider oil. Oil is a very valuable resource. Wars have been fought and lives lost over it. Oil exists in places beneath the earth’s surface in places that are hard to find, and even harder to reach. And it is only found by people that are intentionally looking for it because they know the value of it.

After the resource has been found, it then must be acquired, tapped. It takes skilled people to harvest the raw material. That is what the Reentry Service Providers do. We find the resource and harvest it. We break through the tough surface and reach the resource. It isn’t easy and it isn’t cheap, but the value of the commodity greatly exceeds the cost of acquisition.

The Gulf Coast oil spill is an example of the potential danger in tapping. If it is done by individuals that are untrained or by those that do not see the value of the resource, disaster will strike and that valuable commodity will become a natural disaster. It will turn from a valuable resource, to a hazard to the ecosystem and anything in its vicinity.

After the commodity has been located and harvested, it then must be refined. The impurities must be removed, and it must be transformed into a substance that can be consumed. The materials that are taught in our classes do just that. Our lessons remove the negative thinking of our clients and replace it with the tools that are necessary to succeed.

Our job, the Reentry Service Provider, is to locate the commodity, harvest it, refine it and get it to a gas station near you, so that it can be consumed. Oil on a tanker does no one any good. But after it has gone through the cycle, it then becomes one of the world’s most sought after materials.

Ex-offenders are just like oil. They are a group with much potential. After completing a program, they then become a valuable commodity. But society must be informed of the value. We must find innovative ways to market our product and find innovative uses for our product. The possibilities are endless. Let’s make it happen!

Is the Debt Ever Paid?

There is a common saying among people that have been released from prison, back into society. They say, “I have paid my debt to society”. The feeling is, since the sentence that was imposed by the judge has been satisfied, consequently, the debt has been satisfied. The sentence is viewed as the payment for the harm that has been done to society by the individual.

Where did that idea originate? In my days, I have never found out who I actually paid. If I could find them, I would ask them this question, “is the debt ever paid?” During the sentencing phase in a criminal court room, the sentencing judge will read a list of reasons for a defendant to consider before entering a plea of guilty. Nowhere in that list does it mention that, “You will not be able to find a job”, “You will no longer qualify for government subsidized housing”, “You will be viewed as a menace to society and an outcast for the rest of you natural life”. Had a judge told me those things, I never would have pled guilty.

What is the purpose of prison? Is it to punish the individual for the crime? Is it to rehabilitate the individual and make him a positive influence on society? Is it to make the general public safer by removing the troublemaker from society? We need to define prison’s purpose and make it as efficient as possible in that regard so our nation can become a safer place.

The “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” mentality is no longer feasible. The cost for that is becoming too much to bear. So we must find ways to receive more return on the investment that is made to keep an individual incarcerated. Prison works- if it is administered correctly. Prison offers a unique opportunity for society to train individuals that either didn’t receive home training, or they choose to ignore what was instilled in them at an earlier time. Warehousing the inmates serves no purpose. That only creates an angrier inmate that will return home with a bad attitude. This person will now cause more trouble than he caused before his incarceration. They need to trained and educated.

If society can begin to see convicted felons as humans, as opposed to, convicts that only want to take and harm society, we will begin to see crime trends decrease. Why can’t we get “the benefit of the doubt”? We are now guilty, until proven innocent. Even those that claim to want to help have a preconceived notion that we will re-offend. It’s not a matter of “if”, it’s a matter of “when”. So why even try to convince them? It would be so much easier to just continue with a criminal lifestyle and get the things you desire. But when you have a true change of heart, you no longer desire the things that led you to a life of crime. And that’s what is frustrating. You know you have changed, but no one will believe you.

Give us a chance, we WILL prove you wrong!

Jobs are NOT the solution (Reentry Assessment)

Ex-offender reentry is a vital part of public safety. Over 95% of individuals that are incarcerated will be returning to society. Since that is the case, society must make provisions for that. Many organizations feel that job placement is the answer. They spend the bulk of their resources and time on job development, job readiness and job placement. When they give their statistics, the most important one is the number of participants that are employed. That is the wrong approach.

People that commit crimes generally received “home training” and they know right from wrong. So that is not the issue. Although they have received “home training”, something in them made them feel it was okay to go against what they had been taught. What would make a person go against their morals and ideals that were instilled in them from an early age- in most cases? That should be our focus.

Generally, they commit crimes because of a sense of entitlement. Entitlement makes it seem reasonable to use force to take someone else’s possessions, or to use deception to acquire goods or services. They feel the world owes them something.

People with this mentality should not be given jobs or assistance with job placement simply because they have a felony conviction. There is a price that needs to be paid. There must be some form of sacrifice to justify the assistance they receive. Life Skills, communication, anger management, etiquette, diction and other classes should be part of a comprehensive reentry plan. Job placement should only be an option AFTER the client has successful completed the designated programs. This instills a sense of value and responsibility in an individual that has usually shunned those ideals for many years.

Scholars have different opinions as to why people commit crime and continue to go to prison. Some say it is because there was no father figure in the home. Others attribute it to a lack of home training. While others say these actions stem from a flaw in a person’s character. Although these factors may play a role in the equation, those factors only play a limited role. The major factor is the decision making process of the individual.

Many times when an ex-offender is making a plea for equality, they will use the phrase, “I made a mistake”. I take exception to that because that removes the responsibility from the individual and places it on circumstance. Mistakes generally are beyond our control and we tend to learn from them and correct that behavior. But if a person continues the same or similar behavior, that is no longer a mistake. This person makes bad decisions. After that realization, he can now be trained on how to make better decisions.

When mistakes are made, consequences are never considered. When decisions are made, consequences are considered. So if an ex-offender decides to become a productive citizen, he can now be equipped with good decision making tools and methods to break the cycle of making bad decisions, thus changing his outlook on life. He can now develop a sense of self-worth and purpose.

Reentry programs MUST give their clients hope. That hope begins with a self assessment and a realization that “my circumstances are my fault”. No one else is to blame. After responsibility has been accepted, the next step is the building of a foundation that takes into account that individual’s past and present environments and moral instruction. This is only the beginning. This individual is NOT ready to enter into the workforce.

A common misconception is that a job will solve a criminal’s problems and make him end his life of crime. That notion is incorrect because most jobs will not pay what the individual was making in his illegal endeavors. So why would that be incentive enough to give up the past life?

We don’t want the job for the money. Again, more money can be made illegally. But that money comes with risks and it is not guaranteed. The job gives me stability and consistency. Now I can plan and prepare a budget and not risk my life for money. The job gives me a sense of responsibility because now I will be able to meet my obligations. I now value the money that I make because I earned it honestly.


To get a person to this realization takes time. This is not something that will be embraced after a job readiness session. Coping mechanisms need to be taught because $500 a week only can go so far. How does the individual deal with the dreams of the past- when money was not an issue because there was plenty of it around? How does the individual deal with not being able to spend with no regard for the bills that need to be paid. Now he has to budget. A job does not answer those issues.

Conflict in the criminal world is seldom resolved with kind, civilized words. How does this individual handle being chastised by his supervisor? Where did he learn how to communicate without raising his voice or using profanity? Putting this individual to work only sets him up to fail.

Is Work a Right?

Why do people feel that having a job is a right, as if they are entitled to work? A job is a privilege and it has to be earned. People expect us to put them to work, but they don't want to go through the classes we have to offer. Men haven't worked in 3 years can't give us 8 weeks... hmmm. Do they really wanna work?

Our phone rings constantly, and the person calling asks, "Can you get me a job". First of all, we don't know who the person is. Responsible people would never set someone up for failure. That's what we would be doing if we simply sent men and women out to work without, first, getting to know them and instilling our programs values into them.

So many people say they want work, but they are not ready for work. They lack the basic skills that employers are looking for. That is why the job searches are always unfruitful. Our job is to train men and women in the areas that employers look for. We don't have a magic formula, but we do know what employers want.

We MUST be able to vouch for anyone that we send to an employer. That only comes with time. That is why our program is structured the way that it is. We have been very successful so we can not begin to stray from our core values.

I'm sure many men and women have hung up angry. But if they would give us a try, they would see that it is not hard. And the time will be over before you know it. Explain this logic: a woman hasn't had a job in 4 years. We tell her that if she completes our program, we will send her to an employer that works with us. She doesn't come. huh?

People don't really pay attention sometimes. If I have been unsuccessful in my job search for YEARS, why can't I give an organization 2 months in a situation where I won't even have to search anymore. The employer will be waiting for ME? STRANGE!

Ban the Box

Ban the Box is a national movement that removes the question, "Have you ever been convicted of a felony" from the employment application. Many people wonder why that is so significant. Opponents even argue that felons should not be allowed to obtain city jobs.

Removing the box from applications may seem small to the common man, but to those of us that have felony convictions, it is a tremendous sign of hope! I've often stated that, "Where there is no hope, the only thing that can be expected is failure". The removal of that box gives us HOPE! And that hope is motivation to go ever harder and perform even better and contribute to society.

Banning the box does not remove the criminal background check. That would be crazy. But it does move it farther down the line in the hiring process. As it stands right now, that box is the first method of dismissal for potential employers. The City of Memphis is taking a great leap in leading the city's private sector toward fair hiring practices to ensure that they have the most qualified workforce possible.

I hope that the private sector sees the benefit in giving men and women hope. Crime is at an all time high. We can reduce that with measures such as this. This shows men and women that have criminal background histories that everyone is not against them and that opportunities are available. Knowing that one has an option will spur him/her to fight on and not give up. Prison, then, becomes a deterrent and is no longer an option.

I applaud the Memphis City Council, led by Chairman Harold Collins and Janis Fullilove, for taking the initiative to make Memphis a city of choice.

I know there are many questions. Please feel free to ask and I will do my best to provide an answer.