Letters are subject to editing.
A plea for the proper funding of prison chaplaincy
I am writing from Mountain Institution, where I am serving a five-and-a-half-year sentence. I work as the chaplain’s clerk.
I grew up in Chilliwack, B.C., in an abusive home. When I was 18, I moved to Saskatchewan. I soon turned to drugs and alcohol. I have taken responsibility for my actions.
Since my incarceration I have done very well. I have grown closer to God. I am enrolled at Thorneloe University in Sudbury, Ont., working on my bachelor of theology [and] hope to get a degree in pastoral care and addictions counselling. With these tools, I hope to reach out to others and bring them in a loving relationship with Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Within prison, it is very hard to get the help one needs. The government and the church should step in and help the healing process by properly funding chaplaincy within prison. People who are cared for learn to care for others, and what better way to show people they are loved than to share the love of our Lord Jesus Christ!
If there is any advice, help or inspirational literature you may be able to offer, I know Mountain’s spiritual community would be forever grateful.
Jordan Carrie 884402E
Mountain Institution
PO Box 1200, Agassiz, B.C. V0M 1A0