Prisons Week 2020
From 11th to 17th October 2020, it is Prisons Week. All of our posts for Prisons Week will be on the Christians on the Left Facebook page, but we thought that we would also make the prayers and posts for this week available here too. The prayers for this week come from the official Prisons Week website, to which we’ve added some of our own thoughts. You can find the posts for the week below.
Monday 12th - Praying with Prisoners
This week is Prisons Week. Throughout the next five days, we will be posting about prisoners, victims, families and communities, as well as those who work within the prison system. Each day we will focus on a different group, using prayers provided by the Prison Week website.
Today we pray for prisoners. Although it can be difficult to open our hearts to those we perceive to have done wrong, we must recognise that prisoners are made in God’s image too. They are just as broken and beautiful as we are. Today we think of everyone locked inside a prison, searching for hope and mercy.
We pray together:
“Spirit of grace and truth, we ask for your constant presence through the days, weeks, months and years of imprisonment. For your steady refusal to be shut out by cell walls, steel doors or reluctant and stubborn hearts. Break through the fear and isolation, shatter all pretence and deceit, guide our thoughts and actions, setting before us the example of Jesus the prisoner. Bring us face to face with the unlimited and sacrificial love of God for all his children, so that we can know we are not alone.”
If you want to know more about work done to help prisoners, one of the charities involved in Prisons Week is Imago Dei Prison Ministry, which works with prisoners to show them that they too are made in the image of God.
Tuesday 13th - Praying with the Victims of Crime
During Prisons Week, it is important to remember the victims of crime, as well as the perpetrators. Victims face their own form of imprisonment, their lives hindered by emotional and physical scars. To truly pursue justice, we must put both victims and prisoners at the heart of our society, providing both groups with support to start their lives anew.
We pray together:
“Comforter Spirit, ease the distress and suffering of those whose lives are locked down because of crimes committed against them. Move through others to bring reassurance that they are not alone, physically or in the depths of their souls. Unlock doors that reveal a path of healing through hurt and injustice to a more peaceful place, where trust and confidence can be gradually restored.”
If you’d like to know more about the work that is being done to support and shelter victims of crime, visit the Victim Support website.
Wednesday 14th - Praying with Families
One of the groups often overlooked in discussions about the prisons system are the families of prisoners. The imprisonment of a parent, child or relative can leave a gaping hole in family life and destabilise the family environment. As we think of prisoners, we should also think of their families, constantly feeling like a piece of their life is missing or scared of what will happen next. The Coronavirus pandemic has only made this situation worse, preventing many families from seeing their loved ones in prison. The feelings that families have towards their imprisoned loved ones are complex, and the relationships between prisoner and family are too.
Recognising the complicated nature of these relationships, we pray together:
“Spirit of life and light, walk with us through the confusion and pain of lives forever changed by crime and imprisonment. Give us the strength to bear feelings of anger and betrayal; and to cope with the unfamiliar and frightening. Show us how to bridge the gulf which keeps us apart, revive relationships and bring reconciliation. Take our fears away and give us peace, that we can know that we’re not alone.”
If you want to find out more about what can be done to help the families of prisoners, check out the work of the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT).
Thursday 15th - Praying with Communities
The issue of justice extends beyond the relationship between victim and perpetrator, it involves the whole community. Today’s focus is on communities affected by crime, imprisonment and all that stems from these two issues. Restorative justice is a theme that runs throughout the Bible, from the Book of Isaiah to The Gospel of Matthew and beyond. We are told to love our neighbours and to act mercifully rather than punitively. To achieve justice, communities must work together to decide what the next steps are after a crime has been committed. Victims and perpetrators are at the centre of this work, but it must involve the whole community to be successful.
As we search for guidance as to how to truly achieve justice, we pray together:
“Spirit of God, who dwells within people and places, help us magnify your kindness and goodness to overcome ignorance, alienation and hostility, to be able to see each other as people created and connected in God’s image. Humble us by your power that we might have the courage to come together, physically distanced but united in purpose, called by name to serve God and our neighbours. Pour your gifts upon us, so that we can fulfil your trust in us to do our part, that your kingdom may come on earth as it is in heaven.”
A great example of communities pursuing restorative justice is The Sycamore Tree programme run by Prison Fellowship. You can read more about it here.
Friday 16th - Praying for Prison Workers
So far this week, we’ve focused on people directly affected by crime and imprisonment. Today, we look at another group of people: those working inside the prison system supporting and caring for prisoners. Working in the prisons system, either as a guard, chaplain or in another role, can be dangerous, stressful and difficult. We think of people who are employed in these roles, as well as those who volunteer to help the prison population. As noted earlier in the week, the Covid-19 pandemic has isolated prisoners further from society, meaning that chaplains and volunteers have less contact with inmates. It must also be particularly difficult for prison guards and cleaners, who have been forgotten by many during this crisis, just like the prison population themselves.
Recognising the challenges facing those working in prisons during the present time, we pray together:
“Spirit of refuge and renewal, be alongside all who are called to work in prisons. Give daily strength to serve courageously and faithfully through the continuing constraints of lockdown. Be present in the bringing of order, compassion, food, comfort, and humanity to all held in custody. Sustain and enable us in times of exhaustion and weariness through the sureness of your love and power.”
To learn more about prison chaplaincy, follow this link below to a resource that the Free Churches Group has produced on the topic.
Saturday 17th - Praying for Justice System
Today is the final day of Prisons Week, bringing to a close a week of prayer focused on prisoners, victims and everyone affected by the crime and its consequences. Our particular focus for prayer today is those who work in the justice system, who hold in their hands the responsibility for many people’s futures. We recognise the immense difficulties and complexities that lawyers, judges and criminal justice advocates face on a daily basis, and we pray that they are able to make fair decisions that have the good of the community at their heart. The justice system in its current form has much room for improvement, and we are thankful for those who work tirelessly to try and make it a fairer system for all involved.
Aware of the balancing act involved in being both just and merciful, and of the need for a fairer justice system, we pray together:
“Spirit of wisdom and mercy, lead those responsible for exercising justice in the way of truth; bring discernment, fair minded judgement and a willingness to confront injustice as they consider the lives of others. In every role and place of work through the whole criminal justice system, guide and empower people to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Christ in his strength and in his Spirit.”
Two pioneering charities working to change the justice system for the better are The Howard League and The Prison Reform Trust. If you’re interested in this work, you can find out more on their websites.
We hope that you’ve got something from Prisons Week 2020, whether that’s a renewed focus on helping prisoners in your own life or getting involved in campaigning to improve the justice system.