Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries

This area is for individuals, families, study groups, and churches impacted by crime and incarceration.

Supporting Our Church Members and Families Involved with the Criminal Justice System (PDF)

Become informed 

• A brief but startling introduction to incarceration in the US 
• The connection between classism and incarceration 
• Negative effects of laws 
• Continuing abuse and some progress in the use of solitary confinement – Nov. 2016 report from Yale Law School and the Association of State Correctional Administrators
• 13th is a Netflix documentary in which scholars, activists, and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom. 2016, 1h 40m. 
• Study Guide for groups reading The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander 
• An interdenominational kit for churches to learn to become healing communities for victims, offenders, and their families 

Access resources

• Every state has re-entry specialists to assist people coming out of prison to find jobs and training.
• A variety of services for people coming out of prison and for employers, by state.
• Many links for helping people coming out of prison in MD. 
• DC Mayor's Office on Returning Citizen Affairs. 
• Searchable database of DC services such as housing, substance abuse, mental health, social services, medical, and legal. 
• Sources of help for victims in DC. 
• Mentoring someone out of prison? Guidance from Prison Fellowship. 
• Example of a faith-based comprehensive support program for returning citizens in a MD county. 
• Identify reentry services in Maryland. To get a listing of websites and phone numbers, type in a returning citizen’s address, a radius in number of miles, and the type(s) of services desired.
• FAIR focuses on issues facing persons on the sex offender registry (newly released or long past their sentence). For those with computer access, we offer a secure forum at that address and are getting support groups going in area communities to help registrants and adult loved ones find a sense of family and community and work together to find ways to overcome the extreme hurdles imposed by public registration.

Get involved

• Getting books to inmates in DC and MD 
• Serve children of incarcerated parents (Angel Tree), serve inside prison, join prayer team; articles for family and friends of prisoners. Prison Fellowship
• Serve inside prison or juvenile facility; serve women who have a loved one in prison. Kairos Prison Ministry is in 37 states including MD, VA, and WV 
• Example of a program that serves children of incarcerated parents 

Advocate for change

• Support legislation for effective, evidence-based, and humane corrections policies. MD Alliance for Justice Reform (MAJR) is a bi-partisan, statewide alliance 
• Add your signature to ask for change in sentencing, transformative prison programs, and second chance reentry programs. Prison Fellowship
• Eliminate the overuse of solitary confinement in state and federal facilities in MD and VA. Interfaith Action for Human Rights