Final Freedom Aftercare

Finally the day comes that you have been waiting for. Years ago you never thought you would ever get out of prison, and now the time has come to leave. They’ve given you some money, street clothes and a bus ticket back to where you came from. But, there’s a funny feeling in your stomach; you want to leave so bad you can barely contain yourself, but at the same time your scared to death at what may be waiting for you on the outside. Though you haven’t done much planning, you think you know what you want to do and where you want to go. So why all the fear?

This scenario plays itself out thousands of times in the lives of soon-to-be-released Florida prisoners. It’s a very frightening experience to enter a world that you’ve been away from for years, not having definite plans and goals or someone to help you carry them out. Most are without a real friend to help them transition back into society. Many are even without family to help them bridge the gap to the real world.

Many prisoners turn their lives over to Christ in prison, read their Bibles daily, pray on a regular basis, and some even become volunteers in the prison’s chapel. Sadly to say even with a life changing encounter with God, and much exposure to Christian ministry on the inside, many, if not most prisoners are not equipped to handle life on the outside.