This is where I had a decision, I could explain to D that I was sorry but I needed to get back to Atlanta with my boss’s car, I was following the rules, I could blame it on someone else, I would feel bad but I had done all that I could. Or I could stay with D and try my best to walk with him, to be his advocate, when no one else in the world would. We are called as Christians, but also as human beings, to be many things in our lives, that Wednesday I was called to serve. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to be able to do, but I looked D in the eye with confidence and told him “We are going to get you through this.”

As I worked with D that day I learned firsthand how incredibly unjust our current prison system really is. The barriers that are placed on people recently released make it an almost impossible task to complete all requirements. It is a miracle that anyone is able to fulfill the requirements of parole and probation and keep from being thrown right back into prison.