A Time of Plenty?

What do you think about at this time of year? Perhaps the long lists of gifts you need to buy, organising the family get together or just hunkering down and avoiding the madness.

For Christians, Christmas is when we celebrate the person of Jesus Christ coming into our world. He came and was willing to get stuck in with the painful mess of humanity. Jesus loved the unlovable. Regardless of somebody’s past He said I can help.

At Integritas, we are motivated by Jesus’ love and His example to treat our neighbour as ourselves.  We have a particular concern for the 11 million of our fellow human beings currently behind bars across the world. Many of these people are kept in terrible conditions, without adequate food or healthcare and do not know when they will next see their loved ones. Regardless of their past actions, we believe they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

Like many other charities, the pandemic has taken its toll on Integritas. We have lost many of our main sources of funding and this has directly impacted the work we are able to carry out. This festive season we are asking you to help us help those most in need across our world. Any donation will go a long way to provide healthcare to vulnerable men and women behind bars.

So perhaps this year, as it is for me, will be the first year you think about the world’s detainees, those forgotten and abandoned in unthinkable conditions. There is a great need and we can work together to show radical love to one another.

If you would like more details on partnering with Integritas please do get in touch. Any donation would be gratefully received and would make a huge impact on the work we are able to do.

Click here to donate.

Resources on Prisons

Following our recent opinion pieces on the Price of Pandemic on Prisons and Period Poverty in Prisons, we want to signpost relevant resources for those wishing to further explore the issues we have raised.

The Christian charity Tearfund has published a wealth of resources to allow everyone to equip themselves to help end poverty and injustice. These are free to download and distribute, and are available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. A recent edition of its magazine, Footsteps, is devoted to tackling injustice in prisons. It excellent articles include tips for advocating for positive change in prisons, communicating health messages in prisons, and caring for prisoners’ families.

Penal Reform is an NGO that works to promote the human rights of all those within the criminal justice system. They have published tools on a variety of searchable topics, including children, torture, prison conditions and women. They have videos, guidelines, reports and other formats available. The guideline on mental health created for prison staff also has important information for the public, such as understanding the causes of mental ill-health among prisoners. They have also produced short easy-to-read guides on the Bangkok Rules and Nelson Mandela Rules, the guidelines set by the UN on the treatment of female prisoners and all prisoners respectively.

The Prison Reform Trust aims to create a just and human criminal justice system through informing prisoners, relatives, and government on the rights of prisoners. It has a series of publications for those in prison and those outside.

Prison Fellowship International is a Christian organisation that has created programmes in countries around the world to allow prisoners to rehabilitate and then integrate back into society when they leave prison. Its website has a useful learn and engage section.

Here are more links that provide interesting information on how to get involved in working with prisoners and their families:-

• Prison Fellowship UK

• Restorative Justice Council

• Prisons Week

Please leave comments to tell us about other exciting educational resources you may be aware of!

Education in the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. (Nelson Mandela)