by Douglas Cupery, Church Mobilization Director at Crossroads Prison MinistriesAt Crossroads Prison Ministries, we are keenly aware of the many challenges that mass incarceration poses to the thousands of men and women we serve—and to our nation. In anticipation of the Christian Community [...]Read More
Is there hope to end mass incarceration?
I occasionally speak to churches and other Christian gatherings about my research, on the history of American religion, crime, and punishment. After I walk through the history of Christian contributions to the creation and maintenance of America’s systems of mass incarceration, I often receive some [...]Read More
The Imago Dei in Us All
Written by: Rev. Dr. Kevin Riggs & Rev. Kevin BurnsJohnny is only in the fourth grade, but he has already been labeled by his teachers as a problem. He can’t sit still. He is disrespectful. He can’t keep his hands to himself. He is picked on by other students and is constantly getting in fights. [...]Read More
Local Network Changing Culture in Knoxville
After formalizing their CCDA Local Network at the end of last year, Knoxville has hit the ground running. I had the unique opportunity to interview two of their local network connectors, Jonathan Haskell & Pastor Chris Battle. Listening to their perspectives on the amazing ways their [...]Read More
Unlocked: An Open Mic Night for LIS 2018
150 people gathered for “Unlocked: An Open Mic Night” at Rosebud Coffee in Pasadena, California to celebrate and amplify the voices, performances, and visual art pieces of communities impacted by mass incarceration. The night included 20 artists who debuted their art publicly, some for the [...]Read More
“Is it just too much to rise up and fight against injustice?”
As part of Shaw University’s Religious Emphasis Week, over two hundred undergraduates gathered for a forum on the calling to moral leadership and social justice on Tuesday, February 7, at 11 am. Framed in the context of the Locked in Solidarity focus on ending mass incarceration, Dr. Mikael [...]Read More
Davidson County Transitional Services Remains Locked in Solidarity
Davidson County Transitional Services got involved with this event kind of late but knew that I could not let this opportunity pass our community by. I planned about four days of events which included a expungement clinic, employee rights clinic, a viewing and discussion of the featured [...]Read More
Two Community Members Step Over the Barrier of Incarceration
An interview with Keith Daniel and William Elmore You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends… You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and [...]Read More