Dear readers: This obituary is written by Ken Penner, with input from Tai Jackson, in response to a story/obituary written for the Winnipeg Free Press by Danton Unger on Sept 4 about Roger Jackson. Roger was my friend. I’m sorry that’s he’s gone. He had requested that I come to visit him in the Stonewall …
Connecting The call came in at 8:00 in the morning. His first words, after I said hello, “Hank, is it ever good to hear your voice.” Phil (name changed) was calling from the minimum at Stony Mountain. It was the first time we had spoken since the Institution had been closed to volunteers and visitors. …
It is not the kind of statement you would expect from someone who just finished visiting a person in prison. John has been a volunteer with Open Circle for two years and was moving on so he could dedicate more time to other things. He voiced his comment as I spent some time debriefing with …
We settled into our seats at the local coffee shop to catch up on the latest news. James had seen his fair share of rough spots in life. Prison, mental health issues, struggling to hold a full time job. As we talked we were interrupted by someone sitting next to us, “Do you know how …
It is the hidden side of prison. The side that gets little mention in the press. The side that serves a different kind of time. I met her just as she was entering Stony Mountain Institution for the first time. She stood in the entrance to the prison, fear etched on her face. English was not her first language, …
So J. is back in prison again. He violated one of his conditions and his freedom was removed. What do we do with him? After all, he has been in and out of prison a few times over the years. Maybe we should just throw away the key? It seems like a nice neat solution. In reality …
It has been a few weeks now and the challenges of making it on the street have proved to much for J. as he ended up back in prison on a parole violation. O. continues to do well. Why the difference? Well, one part of staying out is relying on the supports that are there. …
As O. and J. continue their journey of integrating into the community they will face numerous challenges. My name is Hank Dixon and am presently the Interim Director of Open Circle. For 15 years I was a prison chaplain and over the years I have walked with a number of individuals through the challenges of …
The Continued Challenge and Journey of Integration – Open Circle Read More »
Last year, Open Circle was awarded the contract from Correction Service Canada to initiate a new Faith Community Reintegration Project (FCRP) in Winnipeg. This program matches recently released federal inmates who are interested in becoming a part of a faith community with churches and religious institutions that are interested in welcoming these people into their …
