Corrections_Today_July_August_2020_Vol.82_No.4

nEWS & vIEWS

The AAP project was off to a fly- ing start, and other initiatives were quickly added, including donated face masks made by members of a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and others. Projects already on the draw- ing board were accelerated, including the construction of a much needed sidewalk, expanding an already established vegetable garden in the Taconic prison, and by expanding an annual All Souls Day prayer services at the Taconic prison cemetery with the remains of close to 100 women and children, who died over the years during incarceration. This Bedford AAP model quickly attracted wider attention. Rev. Peter Cook, the Director of the New York State Council of Churches (NYSCC), which is the accreditation organiza- tion for the New York State Prison Chaplains, expressed an immediate interest in extending the AAP concept to some of the 52 New York state

subpopulations living in tight quar- ters, such as those in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, retirement communities and especially those in jails and prisons. This threat goes to the heart of the AAP concept, which challenges the notion of a local prison being a warehouse for what society views as flawed individuals from other com- munities and a liability to the host community. In contrast, by viewing the prison as a local asset, providing a unique potential for renewal and revival of individuals often victims of tragic upbringing and poverty, amazing mutual healing results are possible. The experience so far in the Bedford pilot project is most encouraging. As it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to adopt a prison. We believe the call for reducing mass incarceration cannot be achieved until the public finds a heart and compassion for those incarcerated. To the many communities with a prison in its midst, the AAP concept offers a unique opportunity to redis- cover the universal law of love: what I give to my brothers and sisters is my gift to myself. Theological Seminary and has served as adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City and spent 25 as a volunteer teacher and service chaplain in local prisons, including Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He is the UN NGO representative for the International Prison Chaplains Organization (IPCA) and CURE International. He can be reached at hanshall@optonline.net Hans Hallundbaek is the director of the Interfaith Prison Partnership. He earned his M-Div. and D-Min. at New York

prisons. “At its core,” Cook says, “the church is called to care for prison- ers, and yet, because of fear, we can steer away from offering support. The Adopt-A-Prison program offers a way for congregations to embrace their calling to humanize the incarcerated and offer good ministry.” Westchester County’s Interfaith Prison Partnership (IPP), which is the founding organization of the AAP concept, is scheduled to lead a work- shop on the project at this year’s ACA Congress of Corrections in Cincin- nati, fromAugust 6-10, 2020. IPP also serves as the United Nations Representative for the International Prison Chaplains As- sociation (IPCA) and for Citizen United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE) and will bring this project to its annual UN event in February of 2021. As we have all learned, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed highly vulnerable and susceptible

Photo courtesy Angela James Photography Over 100 local residents joined in the September 2019 Bedford Town Hall Meeting, including elected officials.

12 — July/August 2020 Corrections Today