Former Inmates Reach Back Behind Bars To Offer Others The 'Second Chance' That Changed Their Life

Aaron (*name has been changed) never thought he would enjoy responding to emails.

For inmates on the receiving end at the Smithfield State Correctional Institution, those emails are a lifeline.

Aaron is one of thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses who volunteer in a prison ministry that has ramped up during the pandemic. New methods were tested with the hope of reaching some 2.1 million incarcerated individuals in the United States with comfort and hope from the Bible amid lockdowns at these facilities.

Growing up in Northampton, Aaron attended religious services, but his faith faded into the background during his teen years. Soon his life was filled with marital problems, unchecked anger issues, and a search for anything that would fill the void he felt. “My life wasn’t good,” Aaron said. “I had no joy.”

In March 2019 he was incarcerated for aggravated assault and was given a two-year sentence.

Before his incarceration, he began to study the Bible again, and his conscience was touched by what he was learning. So when his sentence began, he eagerly started to tell others about the message of hope he had recently rediscovered. “Two months later, about seven or eight guys wanted a Bible study,” Aaron said.

For the next year, Aaron share the Bible’s message with all who would listen. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Aaron was unable to speak to many of his fellow inmates face-to-face. He needed to find a way to continue sharing what he was learning while, at the same time, abiding by the strict prison rules. “I would write notes to different people and the block workers would take them where they needed to go,” Aaron said. “Even some of the guards ended up offering to help.”

After his release in March of 2021, Aaron was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and began to serve as a full-time Bible instructor. Aaron has continued to reach out to inmates at the two state prisons in his area. He also keeps in touch via email with the nearly 50 inmates he met while in prison, sharing the Bible’s message of hope that changed his life.