Give a Shirt. Get a Shirt

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I figure it is fair to warn you that I am not the same Cosborne that set out for Virginia last May. I am still the same guy - for the most part. I am still just as conservative and just as committed to the political philosophy as I was when I left. Just as committed to my God, to my family and to my country. And to my Arkansas Razorbacks.

But I have been deeply convicted of my ambivalence towards the plight of some of the most unfortunate in our society. Working every day to advocate for policies that promote true restorative justice among our nations prisoners is a daunting challenge. After almost 9 weeks of doing this everyday, I am becoming a believer.

We need prisons. We need punishment. God instituted government for that very purpose. What we don't need is a cycle that traps the young men and women of our nation in an unending pattern of incarceration and probation. We have set ourselves up to fail and from the looks of things we don't care.

I can talk about this for a long time and tell you dozens of wrenching stories, but I will leave you with just this one that is all too common.

The average prisoner will serve the majority of his sentence in prison. When he gets out, he is handed something like 20 bucks - enough to pay for a bus ticket home - and told by a guard we will see you in two weeks.

He hangs his head and walks out of the prison a free man - sort of. In reality, the man is walking away from that prison terrified of the world around him. Not only has he spent time completely isolated from this world, he is now returned to society older and without anyone to look out for him. He will struggle to find a job because of his criminal background. Heaven forbid he has a family to take care of - beaten down, he knows he can't provide for the people that would help keep him on the straight and narrow.

A few weeks of that and he gives up. He goes back to the life that got him into prison in the first place. At least there, he gets three square meals a day. He doesn't have to worry about where the basic necessities of life - food, clothing, shelter, etc - will come from. He has lost any hope of the freedom that is inherent in humanity.

The guard was right. He came back.

This is the sad truth of what our prison system that currently houses something like 2.3 million men and women has become. At Justice Fellowship, I have been fighting all summer to help promote programs that give these men and women a chance. Helping them get a GED or teaching them some sort of vocational skill can dramatically change their world. The problem is that takes time. Effort. Sacrifice. It also takes attention.

My first two weeks at work were a struggle. They were hard because I was learning and entirely new world of policy, but also because I had turned a blind eye to a badly broken system. It took me weeks to become this convicted of what I see. So I dont want to sound preachy.

What I will tell you is that there are ways you can help and can contribute.

Prison Fellowship has a variety of ways that you can take part in being the hands and feet of Jesus to people who badly need our help.

One of the coolest ways is the Give a Shirt/Get a Shirt program. The goal of this program is to provide a dress shirt and tie for a man getting out of prison. This tiny gift is a way to help give him a leg up when he is going to job interviews. It is a simple gesture that can make life soo much easier. Being presentable is huge when making that first impression on an employer that will see himself as taking a chance on an ex-convict.

For a donation of $19, one man will get a shirt. In return, you will too. This will give you the opportunity to share your story and the greater story of how God is changing lives behind bars.

If you are intersted you should check things out at: http://forgivedontforget.org/ (Link has not worked. Try again)

This isn't an ad. It is just a way for you to get an idea where I am coming from.