That time I went to prison.
I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would wear to prison.
I’d just been granted the rare opportunity to visit three prisons to interview participants of an educational program, as part of a program evaluation I was conducting for a non-profit I’ve worked with for a number of years. A camera crew would join me to document the interviews that I was recording on my hand-held device.
The organization, World Impact, Inc., offers a 4-year theological training program (called The Urban Ministry Institute, or TUMI) that equips men and women to be pastors in their community — men and women who might not otherwise be able to complete a college seminary degree due to financial, time, or entrance constraints. In addition to offering the training program to men and women in communities of poverty, TUMI is also available inside 68 correctional facilities throughout the United States.
I had been given access to a place where few people are allowed to go, and I didn’t want to blow the opportunity. I’d traveled over 1500 miles, filled out the necessary paperwork, and had been granted clearance to enter three prisons in the Houston area. There wouldn’t be another chance to get this right.
