A new Prison Ministry website available through ChurchofJesusChrist.org and the Gospel Library app offers guiding principles for ministering to incarcerated individuals and their families. Resources are also available for individuals and families affected by crime and incarceration, emphasizing the love and mercy that comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of many faith and community organizations that work together to help those affected by crime and incarceration,” reads the introduction to the site, accessed via the Life Help library. “We are all invited to follow the example of Jesus Christ by caring for those who are or have been incarcerated and their family members.”
“I spent four and a half years in federal prison,” said Portia Louder, a formerly incarcerated Latter-day Saint. “I know that the way that I was loved and supported made a huge difference. When you can see somebody and recognize their divine potential, maybe even before they can see it, you can make a profound impact in their life.”
Resources for Leaders and Members Called to Serve
The Prison Ministry website also highlights individual preparation, guidelines and safety tips for individuals as they go about their prison ministry activities. This information provides help for leaders as they establish worship services in correctional facilities, manage records and make use of Church and community resources.
In a video directed to leaders, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells stake presidents that organizing stake members to help minister in a prison facility will be a blessing to the stake.
“All that you call to serve in this situation will be changed forever,” he says. “All who are called to serve will understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ better. All will come back to the stake more committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of repentance and all that is core to the doctrine of Christ.”
“There’s something uniquely sanctifying about ministering to others who cannot do things for themselves that you can do for them,” adds Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt of the Seventy. “Prison ministry enables us to have that kind of sanctifying, truly Christlike experience.”
Resources for Those Incarcerated
Additional study guides enable incarcerated individuals to draw closer to Jesus Christ and rebuild their lives upon the foundation of His gospel. Gospel study specifically for incarcerated women affirms Christ’s championship of women and womanhood and encourages them to emulate the Christlike women of scripture.
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Resources for Children, Teens and Others Impacted
“And clearly, those affected [by crime and incarceration] include inmates, their families, the loved ones of inmates, and even by extension the victims who have suffered as a result,” says Elder Renlund in an introductory video to the site.
Church leaders, including Elder Corbitt and Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson, speak directly to these affected demographics in the site’s video collection, including children, youth, families, spouses, and formerly incarcerated and incarcerated individuals.
“Sometimes people make poor choices that require them to serve a term in prison or in jail,” President Johnson tells children with incarcerated parents. “But it’s not a reflection on you.”
Elder Corbitt gives encouragement to teens as well. “You are not a statistic,” he says. “You’re a child of God, and He will bring you through this as you keep your hand in His.”
Helps for Abuse Victims
The website also acknowledges that children with parents in prison may have experienced trauma or abuse, or even witnessed violence. “The emotional trauma that may occur and the practical difficulties of disrupted family life can be compounded by the social stigma children face from having a parent in prison or jail,” says a section directed toward leaders ministering to affected families.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to protecting the innocent from any situation that may lead to harm or abuse,” the site states. “As the Church promotes caring for those who are incarcerated, this does not diminish the need to protect the innocent and to provide support to those who are victims of crime.”
In the October 2022 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson remarked, “For decades now, the Church has taken extensive measures to protect — in particular — children from abuse. There are many aids on the Church website. I invite you to study them. These guidelines are in place to protect the innocent. I urge each of us to be alert to anyone who might be in danger of being abused and to act promptly to protect them. The Savior will not tolerate abuse, and as His disciples, neither can we” (“What is True?”).
Learn more about prison ministry and access resources on abuse and other challenges at LifeHelp.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Prison Ministry resources will soon be available in Cebuano, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Samoan, Tagalog and Tongan.