"I was in prison, and you came to visit me," Jesus told His followers. Then He clarified: "Whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Getting to the Heart of the Problem

We believe that at its core, crime is a moral and spiritual problem. Out of distorted character values, people make poor moral choices that cause harm and destruction. Therefore, authentic and lasting change must take place from the inside out—beginning with a reconciled relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Then, as people learn more about the truth and power of Christ, they learn to think in a new way, act in a new way, and relate to others in a new way.

Working in Partnership

Though its influence now reaches around the world, Prison Fellowship has a relatively small staff. Fewer than 275 serve at our national office in Northern Virginia and in home offices throughout the U.S. The real strength of our "workforce" is in the thousands of churches and the tens of thousands of trained volunteers who partner with us to bring about lasting change in the lives of prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families.

And these churches and volunteers have joined with other groups-faith-based ministries, civic organizations, businesses, social agencies-to form Communities of Care that focus on three areas.

• Prisons: Connecting prisoners with a new way of thinking and living. Preparing them for a successful life back on the outside.

• Communities: Connecting released prisoners with the support and resources they need to beat the odds against them and become productive citizens.

• Families: Connecting prisoners with their families. Rebuilding broken bonds. Protecting prisoners' children from falling prey to the generational cycle of crime.