Hope Beyond Bars: An Inmate’S Journey to True Freedom

By Jedidiah Duaya

Being behind bars doesnt make you, as an inmate, less of a human being. Therefore, do not identify yourself with your temporary situation. But since you are behind bars, you need to take responsibility. And while taking responsibility, you need to forgive yourself and forgive those who might have done you wrong. And once you forgive, then you need to live life in jail, in prison, or under house arrest by following rules and demonstrating good behavior to help make your sentence easier and maybe shorter. And until you get free, do not waste your time in a cell doing nothing of value; instead, put your potential, abilities, and gifts to use. And lastly, mentally prepare yourself to live life beyond bars by applying every single lesson learned from the cell.
The church and society need to address the issue of ex-inmates reentry as partners and complement each other in facing this issue. The society and the church need to understand that just because these individuals are behind bars, that doesnt make them any less human than everybody else. They have a right to live, a right to be forgiven, and a right to be accepted back into society. These individuals are called inmates while serving time, but once they have paitd their dues and are set free, that name changes to ex-inmates and should eventually switch to citizens.
Where society falls short, the church needs to pick up the slack and serve these citizens. And where the church falls short, society needs to step in and help these citizens. We cannot afford to let these ex-inmates live in a life cycle where they go in and out of jail, prison, and house arrest. We have to prove the statistics wrong. Society can provide programs to help these citizens reintegrate much more smoothly. The church can finally become what it was intended to be and provide a safe environment in which these restored citizens will live a life worthy of being called citizens and not return to old behavior and a life back behind bars.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9781546247500

Jedidiah Duaya

Jedidiah Duaya is a servant of the Creator. Jedidiah has a goal to restore people to their Creator and make sure that his audience has a clear, full understanding of their relationship with the Creator. Jedidiah also wants every believer to get involved in the army and do something for someone. Jedidiah Duaya believes, If Christ died for me, then I have to live for Him. Jedidiah holds a bachelors degree in theology and psychology. Jedidiah has written three books: Dying in Good Old Age (2010), In the Closet (2013), and The One and the Only (2013). Jedidiah Duaya ministers anywhere when invited, and he is a host of a radio program, The Voice of Truth with Jedidiah Duaya, which broadcasts weekly on three radio stations and online. For more information, visit the website www.thevoicetruth.info, and visit and subscribe to the Jedidiah Duaya YouTube page.

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© 2018 Jedidiah Duaya. All rights reserved.

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Published by AuthorHouse  06/20/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-4751-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-4750-0 (e)

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Foreword

One of the most difficult experiences I consistently face as a full-time jail chaplain is the inability to assist inmates in reentering society. One lady was being released at the coldest time of the year. She was arrested in summer and thus had no appropriate attire for the bone-chilling temperatures she was about to face. Her boyfriend had found another love and had rid himself of almost all the inmate’s possessions. Her mother passed two weeks before her release, and with her mother’s passing went the only residence she had available. No finances, no roof over her head, no transportation, no food, and no friends to pick her up when she was to be dropped off at the courthouse.

My heart was touched. I solicited the assistance of some others, and almost all the needs were to be met. On the day of her release, the sun began its descent, and the temperature began to plummet. On the coldest night of the year, her anticipated time of release came and went. Seems an issue was raised that needed resolved before she could be let go.

The issue was finally resolved, and she was taken to the city of her arrest and put on the street. The hands on the town clock displayed the dismal situation. Too late. The church with the coat and food had closed. Where would she get something to keep her from freezing? How was she to get around town? What was she to eat? Where could she get money to buy food? Where could she go to escape the blistering cold?

With my twelve years of experience as jail chaplain and a total of over twenty-three years in jail ministry, I have seen this scenario play out countless times. Reentry is a gorilla that is almost impossible to get one’s arms around—housing, transportation, food, clothing, employment, medicine, how to obtain adequate attire for job interviews, and the list goes on.

I have seen success on rare occasions. Yes, some companies are willing to hire ex-offenders. Yes, there are churches willing to help. Yes, there are some programs available. Yes, there are shelters and halfway houses. But far from enough. Jedidiah Duaya’s desire is to encourage and inspire those outside the walls of jails and prisons to step up to the plate and help in whatever way they can.

The phone rang in my office in February 2016, and I first heard the voice of Jedidiah Duaya, a man I would come to respect and value as a friend. In his first email to me, he expressed a concern for inmates while in the jail and subsequent to release. During our first conversation, it was obvious that Jedidiah was honestly concerned for the welfare of inmates. He came to the jail; we walked the halls, talked about inmates, discussed the chaplain’s ministry, and considered programs available to inmates. Since this meeting, Jedidiah continues to take the stand that something needs to be done for the inmates, particularly in the area of reentry.

Myself and another staff member from the jail appeared on Jedidiah’s radio program to voice to the general public some of the obstacles and opportunities available. Our prayer was that God would speak to hearts and motivate individuals, churches, and businesses to get involved.

This work by Jedidiah Duaya is a continuation of the desire of his heart and the determination in his soul to arouse society in general and the church specifically to awake, arise, and assist inmates. We recently had lunch, and I heard much the same as I did two years ago—in essence, Chaplain, I want to see society and the church get involved. Jedidiah is aware of the revolving-door culture of inmates and is intent on using