Pray
- For youth – Pray for those suspended in the foster care system, on the streets, in detention, and reintegrating.
- For schools – Pray for improvement to diverse and culturally equitable instruction; changes in district wide discipline policies; support for teachers and students in special education; the breaking of school-to-prison pipeline.
- For community and law enforcement – Pray for neighborhoods to have wisdom and compassion towards those incarcerated and their families. For police safety, accountability to neighborhoods, and understanding with communities of color.
- For adults – Pray for those struggling with addiction, poverty and homelessness; for those convicted of crimes, low-level to violent crimes; for the families and children of those who are incarcerated. Pray for those re-integrating into society, for jobs, housing, healthy community. Pray for churches to have open hearts and wise actions to serve adults formerly convicted of even the worst of crimes.
- For facilities, staff and elected officials – Pray for judges, bailiffs, defenders, prosecutors, correctional officers, counselors, wardens. Pray for systematic change from punitive focus to transformative programs and policies. Pray for staff at the King County Juvenile Detention Center, SCORE in Kent, Monroe Correctional Complex, Clallum Bay Corrections Center, Washington Corrections Center for Women.
- For elected officials and policy – Pray for decision makers who will deliberate over employment and housing policies that marginalize those who are re-integrating. Pray for those deliberating over use of funds for building new facilities and new programs.
Learn
Books & Articles
When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Reading the Bible with the Damned by Bob Ekblad
Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Greg Boyle
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Race Matters by Cornel West
Alone in the World: Children of the Incarcerated by Nell Bernstein
Bad Boys: Public Schools in the Making of Black Masculinity by Ann Arnett Ferguson
Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Y. Davis
Crosscut’s The Neglected Brain
Film
Visions of Abolition
Advocacy
See Faith Action Network for information on advocacy
These items will be reopened in 2016
Bill 1704: Post-Secondary Education in Prisons
Bill 1390: Reforming Debtor’s Prisons in WA State
Bill 1701: Ban the Box
Online Research
Concerned Lifers Organization
Statewide Poverty Action Network
Incarcerated Mothers Advocacy Project
Village of Hope Seattle
The If…Project
Prisoners for Christ
Hearts of Hope
Small Group
Attend meetings and pray for those involved on all sides.
School PTA Meetings –In most Districts, a major point of discussion in school meetings is over unfair disciplinary policies and breaking the School to Prison Pipeline. Spending time listening to families, and volunteering in study hall/detention helps to build strong bonds with youth that are often expelled or find themselves in juvenile detention.
Police Precinct Meetings – Listening to law enforcement and neighbors talk about safety and hot spots in your neighborhood provide opportunities to serve in the community—especially in areas where youth may need positive activities in tough areas.
Block Watch/Community Council Meetings – Listening to neighborhood councils also provide opportunities to hear about the needs of the community and ways to build community for youth and families in your area.
Church
Sit in Court/Attend Hearings – Church members are welcome appreciated at King County Juvenile Court.