I Choose Hope

10 Tips To Get Through Annual Lockdown "I heard we're about to go on lockdown." The rumors begin as early as one week after we get off lockdown and they continue until eventually it is true. Lockdowns are just part of prison culture. At least one time a year each unit in the prison system will be placed on lockdown so unit security can shakedown the unit looking for contraband and ensure that the unit is clean, safe, and ready for normal operations. Depending on the size of the unit, a lockdown can last anywhere from 10-days to 30-days. Inmates will not be allowed to leave their cell or cubicle for any reason until their wing has gone through shakedown. Shakedown involves security staff going through each individuals property and searching common areas of a dorm looking for anything not allowed in the system. This can include major contraband like weapons and drugs, to minor contraband like extra necessities and the like. All meals are delivered to the residents in a br...

New Prison Course For Texas Inmates Photo credit: TDCJ-French Robertson Unit It's one thing to watch prison movies and TV shows in the free world but it's a completely different ballgame to watch them while sitting in a prison day room. "The Green Mile," starring a younger Tom Hanks takes place on death row of a prison. "Dead man walking," is repeatedly announced when an inmate is transported from his cell to a different location. As I look around my prison day room I cannot help but notice that although some were given a life-sentence, none were sentenced to death, and yet the attitude and spirit of many around me was that of a "dead man walking." In early 2023 I felt that all too familiar nudge to create a program that would challenge and encourage my incarcerated peers to stop waiting to be free from the razor wire before they started to live again. We do not get these days, weeks, or decades back in our lives... this IS part of our life! Wat...

Revival In Texas Prisons Photo Credit: TDCJ-French Robertson Unit Some balk at the idea that a group of men in a maximum security prison in Texas would "find Jesus" and turn their lives around, but not Mike Barber Ministries. For four decades the retired Houston Oiler tight end has gone into prisons and jails around the world sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with thousands of incarcerated people. In April 2025 I experienced this first hand. Even after a recent knee surgery, Mr. Barber walked throughout the entire prison complex his humble, approachable demeanor and hugged every willing individual reminding each one that God loves them and wants a relationship with them. A week before Mike Barber Ministries arrived to the unit a handpicked team of inmate ministers were sent from other units to get to know the people assigned here. Their job was to meet as many people living here as possible and make sure they knew what was coming. A weeklong revival consisting of two serv...

7 Musts Before Visiting Your Loved One Getting a visit in prison is one of the most significant blessings an incarcerated person can receive. When someone I love chooses to take time out of their life to drive to my unit, spend their time off, and endure metal detectors and razor wire to sit with me for a few short hours makes me remember how incredibly loved I truly am. Prison visitation can also spike anxiety for both the visitor and the person being visited. I have had visits where I feel the need to talk quickly to make sure everything can be said, I've also had visits when the conversation lulls and we both feel lost for words. Sometimes tears flow, sometimes laughter carries, but every visit is special. Regardless of who you are visiting there are a few things you can do to help make the visitation process easier on all parties. Here are seven recommendations for your prison visits. Before you visit your incarcerated loved one: 1. Check the dress code. Prisons will have ...

Questions You Must Ask A Potential Parole Lawyer When news spreads throughout the system that someone was granted a positive parole vote the auto response is, "Did they have a parole lawyer?" Parole feels like a mystery for most inmates and those who love and support us. Rarely do any of us have the privilege of meeting face to face with an actual voting member of the Parole Board so we simply write letters, mail in certificates, and pray that our best efforts will overshadow the crime(s) we committed years ago. Hiring a Parole Attorney is an option, albeit an expensive one. Inside the razor wire there are very mixed reviews around this subject. Some feel it's a scam, others swear by the effectiveness of the choice to hire an attorney to represent your loved ones case to parole. Whatever you decide with your LO, here are some questions you most certainly should ask before you hire anyone. 1. What will they actually do for your LO? Some "parole attorneys" sim...

Actions > Intentions When I was finally returned to my unit of assignment I spent the first two weeks reconnecting with friends and exploring the many changes that had occurred in the 17-months I was away. It was obvious that many great programs had come to the Robertson Unit like the Forever Sober Program (FSP) created by an inmate to promote sobriety, affirmation, a positive environment, and incentive based opportunities for being part of the solution for change within the system. However, I was also faced with many conversations of that revealed a lack of knowledge of the Word of God, a feeling of loneliness, and a strange sense of competition between those who profess a desire to help make the prison culture of yesterday a thing of the past. "Someone needs to promoted legitimate unity." "Someone should start an engaging and relevant Bible study...for inmates, by inmates." As I heard these echoing themes I began to see the real problem, namely, no one was ...

How To Stop Settling Every once in a while a song lyric, a phrase, or a quote will sprint its way past my ears and resonate directly with my soul. This weekend I sat with two men at one of the cold, stainless steel tables in my assigned prison wing when one of the men nonchalantly said, "Without a 'What Now,' there's always a 'go back.'" The conversation lulled on for a moment before my heart woke up to what he had said, "Wait, what did you say again?" I questioned. My tone must have been jarring because John repeated himself taking great care to get his words right, "Without a 'What Now,' there's always a 'go back.'" Every time in my life that I have not had a specific plan, goal, or purpose for what's next, I have returned to old habits, old hangups, old patterns of doubt and fear, old addictions, and old ways of thinking. I must have a, "What Now?" Our physical bodies love comfort. Innately we ru...