The Georgia Department of Corrections has a problem. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Department of Justice have documented these problems extensively. A few highlights: Aging facilities. Staff vacancies rates of 70% or higher. Unprecedented levels of violence (an estimated 60+ homicides in 2024). Widespread corruption (one warden arrested for arranging a murder-for-hire).   And as far as I can tell, there are two ways to solve these problems.   Option 1: Throw more money

Reading Spencer’s emails is not just informative—it’s an experience. His passion for working with the juvenile boys at Burruss is evident in every word. Each email offers a glimpse of transformation: another future saved, another family restored, another life touched by hope. I know this firsthand because I attended one of HeartBound Ministries’ programs in prison—and I am one of their success stories.   As January came to a close, Spencer sent an email titled Worth Its Weigh

Mikel slipped me a note.   The previous week, I had told him some good news.   A lot of people had read the newsletter about Mikel. The newsletter that ended with us asking for donations to help us through the “slow months” of the giving season.   Many of you answered the call. In fact, one of you donated $5,000. I told Mikel that the words he shared helped inspire and guide our newsletter. I told him that his words had helped us receive a gift of $5,000.   I told him that th

Remember Genesis? The boy who Ethan encouraged when he was feeling down? Who didn’t shower enough and was intellectually disabled? ​ Well, Genesis did something pretty remarkable the other day. He volunteered to speak at our graduation ceremony.    Totally out of the blue. Not sure what compelled him to raise his hand. When no one else had the courage to do so, he volunteered. I had no idea what he would say. All I knew was that I was excited to hear it.     The day of the gr

Several months ago, I shared about Ethan, a horticulture student who had recently tried to commit suicide – twice. I’d be remiss if I didn’t share an update.   Genesis arrived at Burruss Correctional Training Center unlike many other juvenile inmates – he was upbeat and smiling. He actively participated in class and gleefully shouted out answers to the little puzzles we use to warm up at the start of each class. His answers were nearly always wrong – he is undoubtedly intelle

There are some fancy formulas that nonprofits use to advertise just how good of a job they’re doing. I’ve researched them, weighed whether or not if it’s worth the time spent to calculate them, and decided, it’s largely not. You could attempt to place a fiscal value on the goods and services we provide and simply put, it wouldn’t be accurate, nor would it portray the true impact of our programs.   One such formula, “social value,” is a metric that puts a dollar value on how m

Henry Adams writes, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”   I’ll let you in on a secret, I didn’t read this quote myself, a student of mine in prison slipped it to me.   A revelation of sorts came to me recently. My students in prison, though they live together, eat together, shower together, spend 24 hours and 365 days a year together, don’t actually know each other at all.   I believe there are two major reasons for this disconnect:   Pe

He solemnly whispered that he had failed his GED exam by three points.   I asked what happened – this young man is quite bright and usually a good student. He responded despondently, “I gave up. Couldn’t do it.” Just at that moment, another horticulture student, Chance, walked up to us. This young man has been incarcerated since he was 13 and by all measures, Chance shouldn’t be succeeding academically like he is. He’s a former gang member facing a lengthy sentence. He never

Almost three years ago I received a phone call from Omar Howard at the Atlanta Transitional Center (ATC).   One thing I love about Omar is that he cuts straight to the point and doesn’t spend extraneous time dallying on the phone. He asked me plainly, “You know anything about bees? I got a bee guy here.”   I paused; it was a strange question. I had a job in college where I helped maintain seven beehives so sure, I knew a thing or two about bees. “Yeah,” I replied, “Put him on

“Dear Old Me,” H. said. I was confused, the assignment was supposed to be a poem. It appeared that this student, H., had mixed up the assignment with an old one where the class wrote letters of wisdom to their younger selves. I wanted to stop him; he was supposed to be reading a poem he wrote to the class, but I let him continue. I think God was telling me to shut up and listen. “Dear Old Me,” he began. Afterwards, I asked for a copy of his speech, which is below. I know you

“I have received no immediate assurance that anything we can do will eradicate suffering. I think the best results are obtained by people who work quietly away at limited objectives, such as the abolition of the slave trade, or prison reform, or factory acts, or tuberculosis, not by those who think they can achieve universal justice, or health, or peace. I think the art of life consists in tackling each immediate evil as well as we can.” - The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis A fe

One thing I’ve learned about prison ministry is that you’re going to meet a whole cast of characters. One of those characters is a man I’ve known since I was little - Burl Cain. His name perfectly encapsulates his stature and character. Burl is to no surprise - a burly man, white-haired and jovial with a Southern accent thick as molasses. He possesses the sort of wisdom they don’t teach in school, the kind only bestowed on those who grew up listening to their elders talk on t

Have you ever asked someone to pray for you? I met with one of our Malachi Dads instructors, Dan Lane, recently. He had just completed a 12-week Malachi Dads course at Spalding County Correctional Institute.  I wanted to meet to get feedback and say thanks. Dan was beaming, “Spencer, you’ll never believe what happened during last night’s class.” I sat up straight in my chair. “The men asked me to teach them how to pray.”  For years, Dan’s been reading the same prayer every mo