Inmate Re-Entry

Meet Calvin, who attended a faith-based re-entry program while in prison. Calvin’s childhood was filled with physical and sexual abuse, hatred, and starvation, and as a teenager, he sought refuge and acceptance within a gang reputed as being one of the worst. He ended up in a Florida prison with a laundry list of charges and continued to add new charges in defending himself against rival gang members and fellow prisoners. He frequently engaged in physical altercations in just trying to stay alive and ended up stabbing a fellow inmate during an exchange that landed him in solitary confinement.

In an attempt to rehabilitate Calvin, the state relocated him to a 1-year faith-based re-entry program. Early into the program, Calvin crossed paths with Jim Lynch, who saw right through the criminal into the heart of a person who had endured a lifetime of physical and mental abuse. All Jim asked of Cavin was to listen, consider, and pray for increased wisdom and faith in order to discern right from wrong within the program syllabus. Calvin respected Jim and knew his reputation of transitioning men back into society as good neighbors and over time built a trusted relation with Jim, who later assisted Calvin’s transition back into society.

Over time God worked through the love and mentoring supplied by His servants within the prison and changed Calvin into the man he had dreamed of being. A loving and forgiving man no longer succumb to the hatred and violence that filled his days as a youth. Calvin now works as an interior trim carpenter and has a family of his own. He loves spending time with family and his dog and is currently considering going to college.