There is a crisis in our jail system that many are unaware of and the statistics are startling:  2 million incarcerated in the United States today…700,000 released annually…66% will return to prison…70% of the children of those incarcerated will spend time in jail.  WOW – what a vicious cycle!  At Stand in the Gap we are helping to address this crisis with our Women in Transition (WIT) program being taught at the Tulsa County Jail, developed to teach women in prison how to successfully transition out. Barbara Saunders, course author and teacher comments, “The light comes on about "getting out" and what they will face as an ex-offender. Many of the women have that “aha moment” where they realize they have to live life differently and find a new normal.” WIT has a significant impact on these women as exemplified by their feedback.  Says Julie, “I believe this class is going to save my life.  I am learning to live sober, safe and sane in the free world; something I have never done.  I am learning the tools to do so.  Thank God for this class”. In addition to training and mentoring, SITG recruits spiritual families to support many of these women upon their release.  Recidivism results have been impressive.  Of those women who went through the training and then became part of a spiritual family for a year, to date, none of the ex-offenders have gone back to prison.

My Story**
My name is Kathy.  I’m 33 years old.  I am currently incarcerated at EWCC (Eddie Warrior Correctional Center) and will be released in August. 

I was born in Mo.; but haven’t lived there since I was 15.  I spent 10 years in NC.  I am now divorced and have 3 daughters ages 19,15 and 11.  My family relocated from Mo. To Mississippi several years ago and I came to Tulsa in 1999.
I’m an addict.  I’ve been sober now for 2 years and hope to be able to remain so.  I fell in with a rough crowd and in order to support our habit we committed felonies on a daily basis for several years.  Now that I’m sober I can’t believe some of the things we were involved in. 

I’m not a participant in any violence, other than that which has been inflicted upon me.  My hope is to leave here in August and since I have nowhere to go and I am required to remain in OK until I’ve repaid all of my fines and restitutions.  I’m going to live at Wings of Freedom in Tulsa with high hopes that I can get my life together and bring my 2 youngest daughters out here to live with me.  They have been waiting on me for a few years and disappointed more than a few times.  My oldest daughter is in college in Ms. and plans to remain there with their father.  I don’t know what else to tell except that I appreciate what Ms Saunders is trying to do for us. 

Thanks for letting me share, and God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Kathy
Release date 08-15-07

**Name and location changes made to shield identity

June 11, 2007

Letter from a Believer in Prisoner (verbatim)
(requesting to be involved in our Women in Transition program)

What God has done for me!

I want to begin by saying God has been wonderful to me. He has given me the opportunity to relive my life for him the way he wants me to. God has opened so many doors for me these past eight months. I grew up very fortunate, my family raised me in church. A deacon daughter, the sister of an ordained minister. I was the baby of five children, very spoiled and thought I had to have my way in every situation.

I got married at an early age, sixteen, and left my family and the Christian values I had been raised by. I married a man who was very abusive to me. I was introduced to the drug game not as a user, but as a dealer, knowing that the money I made would soon take my children and me to safety away from the abuse. After several months of dealing and collecting money, I was able to leave the marriage. I felt I couldn’t ask my family for help, because I had turned my back on them and God. I led the fast life for 14 years, and my children and I survived through good times and bad. My fast life finally caught up with me and I ended up in trouble not only with a drug charge, but also with a gun charge to go with it. My family came to me and supported me with love and prayers. They stood behind me in court and through my sanctions in the county jail. God stood by me through this time and blessed me with my sentencing.

My sister wrote me a letter while in county telling me God was working through me and opening doors for her to come into the county jail to do ministry to the girls there. My family came there every week, not only for me, but for the other inmates, too. I was sent here to EWCC (Eddie Warrior Correctional Center) by my own stupidity, but I thank God every day that I am here. Being here has allowed me to sit and be still while he molds me into the person he needs me to be.

I prayed that doors would be opened for me, and through my prayers he has done this. I have taken a college course, I am in Career Tech, and am a leader in the Genesis One program. Through Career Tech, I will be able to get skills that will help me tremendously when I get out. I will be working with my family through their ministry traveling with my sister doing different seminars around the United States.
God has restored my family together and brought my children back to me whom I hadn’t seen since being incarcerated. Not only has he brought my children back, but with them I have gained a new son-in-law, and a grandbaby on the way. I have so many things I can thank him for.

Everyone told me not to be disappointed when I didn’t make parole, but with my family there with me and all the prayers for me and the girls, not only did I make it, but so did everyone else who was with me that day. God was with us, because they said it was the first time everyone who went made it.

I’m looking forward to my new walk with Christ and I am hoping to find a good mentoring family to help me along with my sobriety and my future. Thank you very much for considering me in your mentoring family, and I look forward to spending quality time with you.

L.S.

February 7, 2007 and I’m back in prison at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center. Back in prison but…. this time I’m teaching. This time DOC employees and Careertech instructors are shaking my hand, calling me Ms. Saunders, opening doors for me. I am here to explore teaching a re-entry program for women transitioning out of prison; a program that I developed since I was released in June of 2000.

Susie and Jan were my two “best friends” in prison. We all were released within a year of one another. Susie is back in prison doing 15 years. Jan is back too; a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The women in the Careertech program have approximately 8 months left to serve. They are beginning to get anxious. They are beginning to worry; some are panic-stricken. Many will return to the exact environment in which they were arrested. They have every reason in the world to be fearful. What to do when you don’t know what to do?

Enter someone who has “been there and done that.” Enter someone who has successfully transitioned out of prison and reintegrated into society. Enter someone who can tell you about hope, about the grace of God, about living one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time. Enter someone whose very presence there on the yard offers hope.

Please pray for us as SITG™ initiates this new journey; pray for churches to come along side us who want to work with this population of women, pray for protection of the ministry as we work in the fields of the Lord.

On September 27, 2008, Gina, a 43 year old M.D with a specialty in Neurology and a cocaine addiction, was released from prison at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center near Muskogee.  She was going back to Oklahoma City.  Her heart’s desire is that she will be able to maintain her sobriety in the free world and become a contributing member of society.

That same day SITG™ was presenting its model for core life change to Life Church in Edmond.  They were told about Gina, were excited to meet her and welcome her into their church to a SITG™ family.  Coincidence, I think not.

Gina was introduced to the Life Church and an immediate rapport was established.  The WIT program developed by Barbara Saunders brings together those women who truly desire life change and are willing to do the hard work with a chosen church family to be companions on that journey of transition.  Barbara goes into two women’s prisons each week to teach women how to live clean, sober, sane and without fear in the free world.

Gina shared, “The day Barbara walked into that classroom was the most significant thing that happened to me during my incarceration. She’s real and she’s done it and that makes all the difference.”