Incarceration touches all of us. In the U.S., some 6.6 million people live under supervision of adult correctional authorities (in prison, in jail, on probation, or on parole). Nearly 2.2 million men and women are behind bars, and more than 600,000 people are released every year—with two-thirds being rearrested within three years. The annual cost to incarcerate and reincarcerate this many people? More than $80 billion. Beyond the price tag, soaring levels of incarceration and recidivism take a toll on communities and families. This cycle of crime and incarceration produces broken relationships, victimization, despair, and instability—and we must do better. We can’t afford not to.
Prison Fellowship® is the nation's largest nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for justice reform. We seek to share the real, living hope of the Gospel with people who long for its power to make them new. Real restoration begins by addressing the cycle of