Prison Ministry
Letter Writing to Those Inside Prison Walls
Join us. Becoming a pen pal to those who are incarcerated in our Illinois prisons is more than about getting mail. It is about establishing a mutual relationship. You will have the opportunity of being proximate, learning together and giving voice to someone on the inside. This can be a wonderful experience for you and the person you are writing. Please let us know if you are interested in making a connection through letter writing by contacting socialjustice@hinsdaleunitarian.org. Prison Ministry Team Leaders Cathy Blanford Tracey Olson How Formerly Incarcerated Firefighters Are Getting the Jobs and Pay They Deserve
In 2014, Brandon Smith—unemployed but trained as a wildland firefighter—applied for upwards of 15 positions at local and state fire departments in California. Qualified for the work after two years of firefighting, he spent nearly 18 months fielding rejections, not because of his credentials, but because he couldn’t pass a background check. One local department offered him a job, but then rescinded it when they saw he had formerly been incarcerated. There are thousands of other people like Smith, formerly incarcerated and trained as firefighters, who face a number of hurdles when applying for jobs. To overcome these systemic barriers, Smith and fellow wildland firefighter Royal Ramey founded the Fire and Forestry Recruitment Program, aimed at training and helping formerly incarcerated people find employment as firefighters. As the state enters the most catastrophic fire season on record, the work of wildland firefighters is more critical than ever, yet the state is facing a shortage of potential workers. For years, the state has lacked a formalized process for incorporating firefighters that have been incarcerated into its ranks. This year that could change. Parole Illinois
It all began with the simple act of writing a letter. A group of folks gathered to begin a pen pal program under the leadership of Rev Karen Mooney from the UU Prison Ministry of Illinois UUPMI. Over time, unexpectedly and with some hesitation, real relationships were forged with people incarcerated in the Illinois Correctional Complex. As they learned of the horrors suffered by their friends behind bars, a project was born and UCH took up the cause of reinstating Parole in the state of Illinois.
Letter Writing Writing letters and forging friendships is an ongoing project at UCH. The group meets quarterly to compare their experiences and to support one another in the ongoing process of reaching out and connecting with other folks - folks we might never know in our daily lives. It has been a powerful and transformative ministry in UCH |
Ghost by Lonnie Smith
With all these years in prison I believe I've Come to feel what a ghost must feel, forced to be Spectators in a world where we've long been forgotten. Neither here nor there as life goes on around us. Some have forgotten that they were ever part of that world, they go around hating the world and the people in it. Others remember too well, They long to be part of that world again, to be seen, To be heard, to be relevant. Every once in a while, for however Brief it may be someone sees them, really sees Them. Not for what they are told to see, a ghost, But for what lies beneath. For those who haven't And do not want to forget, who still cherish and hang on to their humanity, it means the world to them. So yes, behind these four walls I've most Definitely come to feel what a ghost must feel, Your friendly ghost. Lonnie Smith Cathy Blanford
interviewing Renaldo Hudson 
Lobbying in Springfield for Prisoner Rights
Prison Industrial Complex 101
Learning how the system
effects all of society.
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