Preparing Prisoners for The Next Step Upon Release
New Life Prison Ministries (NLPM) has extended vital services to those incarcerated across Canada for the past 40 years. Although NLPM is perhaps best known for offering correspondence courses (over 90 courses available with completion of over 17,800 studies returned by inmates in 2019) they are equally active on the other side of the prison walls.
In preparing inmates for release New Life has greatly enjoyed utilizing a toll free line (1-888-842-6898) which is available across Canada and specifically from any prison range in Ontario. Month by month the number of inmates seeking support has grown, with 1,285 men and women calling the line for Aftercare assistance in 2019. Each of these callers are real people who desire real help in avoiding relapse into their old criminal behaviours.
Coinciding with the Aftercare line is a new initiative called THE NEXT STEP PROJECT. Using Maplehurst Correctional Centre in Milton as a pilot project, workers and volunteers meet inmates at the point of release into society, providing backpacks filled with hygiene kits, hats, gloves, food items and much needed resources.
This front-line ministry has spread quickly within the last year as new workers have been trained to meet released offenders in Windsor, Hamilton and soon London, Ontario. Next Step workers personally met 285 individuals in 2019. The number of people receiving one on one help is expected to more than double in 2020.
This year, NLPM is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a prison ministry and is welcoming a new Executive Director, June Dryer.
There are countless opportunities for those who would like to help ex-inmates take their NEXT STEP into a fulfilled, crime free life.
For more info contact us at 1-519-666-1950.