Dear John,
With unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic social restrictions, for many, Mother’s Day 2020 was difficult. But without the possibility of visitation, mothers in prisons across America struggled even more than usual this year.
Thanks to you and the unending favor of our Lord, however, Prison Fellowship continues to work on behalf of the women and men in prison:
- Women’s Ministry remains part of our core programming. Before prisons closed to volunteers, we celebrated our second class of Create: New Beginnings graduates. Rooted in Scripture and Prison Fellowship Academy core values, Create: New Beginnings helps women acknowledge critical emotions and develop self-awareness through artistic expression. Though currently on pause, we are already anticipating the next Create: New Beginnings graduating class.
- During negotiations for the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Prison Fellowship advocacy team and its partners urged Congress to remember COVID-19’s unique threat to incarcerated men and women. Signed into law by the president March 27, the CARES Act features important new provisions, including:
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Free access during the pandemic to phone calls and videoconferencing provided by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
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Increased communications to ensure federal prisoners receive encouragement, accountability, and guidance during the crisis, while facilities limit in-person programming and visits.
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U.S. Department of Justice expansion of the BOP’s home confinement program, which will be critical for facilities to reduce crowding and maintain proper social distancing and sanitation and to ensure more individuals—particularly those who are elderly or otherwise more susceptible to COVID-19—complete their punishment in settings more conducive to their health and safety.
- April marked the fourth annual Second Chance Month <[link removed]>. The White House issued a presidential proclamation on April 1, and throughout the month, social media campaigns, prayer groups, Twitter chats, and other activities centered around second chances. Prayer leaders across the nation joined forces for a Road to Second Chances Virtual Prayer Meeting to cover our nation with prayer. More than 380 partners joined Prison Fellowship in advocating for second chances, and several states declared their support for Second Chance Month.
Second Chance Month reminds us we are all more than our mistakes. We are all made in God’s image, and each of us has a future.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those
who are called according to his purpose.—Romans 8:28
We are grateful for your continued support of this ministry <[link removed]>. If you are personally affected by COVID-19, please let us know how we can pray with and for you <[link removed]>.
Praying with you,
James J. Ackerman
President and Chief Executive Officer
PRISON FELLOWSHIP®, 44180 Riverside Parkway, Lansdowne, VA 20176
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