Free Republic

Updated to include guide to restrictions on letters to the William G Truesdale Adult Detention Center. (LifeSiteNews) — Pro-life rescuers in prison have made – and are making – generous sacrifices on behalf of their unborn brothers and sisters. One sacrifice is the company of likeminded men and women: Christians and other people of good will who share their conviction that innocent human life is sacred. By giving up their emotional support networks of family, friends, and colleagues, our pro-life heroes are in danger of a loneliness that can be felt even – or especially – in a crowded prison...

A prison ministry that was the recipient of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's first-quarter salary praised his action, saying it will help "bring the Gospel to inmates in over 350 jails and prisons worldwide.”While touring Prince William County's Adult Detention Center on March 31, Youngkin announced his decision to donate his first quarter salary to Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, which his office identified as “an organization dedicated to supplying faith-based resources for jails and prisons in the Commonwealth of Virginia and worldwide.”Youngkin presented the ministry, based in Henrico, Virginia, with a check for $43,750.The governor of Virginia receives an...

Kanye West's surprise visit with his Sunday Service choir to two Harris County jails in Houston, Texas was an "egregious" violation of the U.S. Constitution, an atheist group complains. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, whose district is in Houston, called it a "very cool move" by the "Jesus Walks" rapper, but the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) was particularly angered by the "Christian" message relayed from the newly born-again believer's songs from his new release, "Jesus Is King," The gospel-rap album debuted No. 1 on the Billboard charts. "It is no excuse that Kanye West is famous," FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel...

Dear Freepers, I wanted to share this with you, It is our desire to be helpful to those in prison who indicate an interest in receiving spiritual help, even the good news of salvation centering in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, God's only Saviour. We also want to see these men and women continue in God's Word by means of personal Bible study. From our experience, we have found that inmates often profit from doing Bible studies by way of correspondence. They have plenty of time to devote to Bible study and they also enjoy receiving mail. We...

Giving the Catholic Church a Chance Behind Bars Originally published in the National Catholic Register, November 3-9, 2002, by Joseph Pronechen, Register CorrespondentFairfax, Va. – Behind prison bars, inmates looking to change their lives are confronted with everything from anti-Catholic sects to isolation. But some can also find their way to Catholicism through the apostolate First Century Christian Ministries.In addition to the sacraments, “every Catholic prisoner interested should have access to…a good, solid Catholic Bible and good, solid orthodox Catholic material,” said Joseph Strada, chairman of First Century Christian Ministries board. A former career U.S. naval officer with a doctorate...

(English-language translation) Havana - The Cuban authorities authorized the celebration of Evangelical services and Catholic Masses in all of the country's prisons. Cuba Council of Churches (CIC) spokesman José Aurelio Paz told AP on Tuesday that they were informed of the decision on September 10. He added that, on that day, CIC leaders met with Religious Affairs officials from the Communist Party, including [Religious Affairs] head Caridad Diego, and with prison officials. "It involved an informative meeting," Paz stated. He explained that, prior to the decision, there was "personal-level religious attention", in other words, when a prisoner or his family...

The head chaplain for New York City jails has been suspended while the city investigates claims he made incendiary statements last year in Tucson, including a comment that the "greatest terrorists in the world occupy the White House." The New York Post reported Thursday that Umar Abdul-Jalil made the remarks at a conference sponsored by the Muslim Students Association in Tucson. It said the Investigative Project, a Washington organization that tracks extremist Islamic groups, recorded the speech, in which he also allegedly said that Muslims jailed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were "tortured" in the Manhattan Correctional Center. Abdul-Jalil,...

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. (AP) - He taps the table. He rubs his watch. He stirs his iced tea. He smooths his marlin-patterned boat shirt. When he's not talking, his eyes dart from his cell phone, to the lacquered fish on the walls of the waterfront restaurant, to the boats. No, Jack Murphy - the legendary surfer and beach boy who scored the grandest jewel heist in American history 41 years ago - isn't one to sit still long. "I can't sit around on a cruise ship, or sit around in a lounge," he says. "I'm always, always, fiddling with something."...

Today, the president will sign what might be called “special interest” legislation. What makes this signing ceremony different is that the special interest group that will benefit from the new law has no political clout—none of them vote, nor are they wealthy. In fact, as a group, they’re probably the poorest of the poor in America. No, what makes them special is that they are the object of Jesus’ concern. And, in signing this bill, the president is doing a great public service, and he’s doing the Lord’s will. The group I’m describing is prisoners, and the legislation is the...

Our Approach After Chuck Colson's release from prison in 1975, he did not forget the pain and suffering he had seen while incarcerated. He began returning to prisons to share God's love. Then he began to wonder how he could multiply his efforts in prisons across the country. With a group of committed Christians, Colson formed Prison Fellowship. Since then, Prison Fellowship has grown to include ministry throughout the United States and in many countries around the world. We have a biblical and balanced approach to the total needs of inmates. We help the church and chaplains minister to inmates,...