Pray for Women in Prison
Prison affects both women and their children.
The drive to build relationships that all women experience can be deeply misguided or manipulated by others. Women in prison are often victims themselves, even if the cause is centered in self-destructive behavior. Until relatively recently, women who were caught in webs of family violence often received paltry mercy. No matter what one might have done to end up in prison, the child of the prisoner is surely the loser in all cases, deprived of the income and attention of one parent, and sometimes both.
Over half of the women in prison are mothers - and up to 80% have mental health issues. (WHO, 2021) The Sentencing Project reports that the percentages of Black and Brown women imprisoned have declined since 2000. However, it is still the case that there are more women of color behind bars than white women.
So many good ministries exist to help women in prison and the wellbeing of their children. Our society needs better ways to help prisoners transition to freedom. Consider a generous gift this year in honor of the little infant who came to set us all free.
The Angel Tree Foundation gives gifts to children while parents are incarcerated. A ministry of Chuck Colson’s Prison Fellowship, the group tries to foster ties with local churches for inmates after release as well.
Amity Foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to rehabilitate and restore personal dignity to the lives of substance abusers such as, addicted mothers and their children, homeless substance abusers, victims of violence, children at high risk of becoming addicted, criminal gang members and incarcerated substance abusers.
Lamp Ministries is an active prison ministry run by Deacon Joe Campbell in Michigan. Many of their ideas are being replicated in other dioceses around the country. Joe says, “We have remarkable faith building experiences at almost everyone one of our Catholic church services in the jail. We are eager share the remarkable signs and wonders of the Lord through our eNewsletter.
Lord, let us pray:
*for the complete repentance of those whose crimes have landed them in prison;
*for women to be liberated from webs of violence and instability caused by substance abuse, domestic violence and poverty;
*for the children of prisoners, that they might find encouragement and personal fortitude and loving support;
*for incarcerated women to find assistance and training to imagine a better life after their release from prison, for the sake of their children;
*for those persons unaffected by violence, that they would pray for the suffering victims of all forms of violence and directly support those who take action to help;
*for the many organizations and individuals who visit those in prison, that their efforts would have rich spiritual and temporal rewards; and
*for those who knowingly or unknowingly cause vulnerable women to become entangled in illegal activities, that they might be enlightened and repent.