Community Appeal
How active is your faith community in offering a second chance to formerly incarcerated people as they reenter the workforce?   

Hard Road Home can inspire your religious leadership to become involved in this key social issue.  Communities of faith can offer critical assistance to formerly incarcerated people as well as become a network of support in reentry employment possibilities.   

Call to Action
Fact:  The United States has the highest documented incarceration rate and jail population in the world. 
Source: The International Center for Prison Studies

Hard Road Home can help your community:

• • Embrace the call for second chances and invite a formerly incarcerated person to speak at your next minute for mission, committee meeting or worship service.
• • Organize your community to be a support network by resourcing employers within your faith community.
• • Learn about local legislation and how your community can be a voice of support in current reentry legislation and initiatives.
• • Reflect on how your community gives money and the possibilities of allocating funds to support employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated members in the local community.

Resources
Watch Hard Road Home and let this just be the beginning of an important discussion on assistance to formerly incarcerated people, how we welcome the “other” and how people of faith can be a vital source of support.

Bookmark this Organization:  Auburn recommends ICARE as a best practices organization on the issue of employment for formerly incarcerated people.

To keep the Hard Road Home conversation going, Auburn recommends:

• • Purchasing this film for your community lending library
• • Curriculum for a 4-week lesson.  Click here for free curriculum /hyperlink/
• • Curriculum for a one-time lesson.  Click here for free curriculum /hyperlink/
• • Creating a talk-back discussion for youth.  Click here for possible discussion points /hyperlink/
• • Incorporating second chances and prison re-entry into community prayers and liturgy.  For an example click here:  /hyperlink/
• • Preaching on this important issue.  For a sample sermon click here:  /hyperlink/

Synopsis and Purchase Information 
Hard Road Home, 2007

This 2007 film tells the story of Julio Medina a drug-dealing gang leader who went to prison.  When he was released 12 years later, he was a changed man. Upon his release from prison, Julio committed himself to becoming a different kind of leader. He created Exodus Transitional Community, a program in East Harlem dedicated to breaking the cycle of prison incarceration.

To purchase a copy of Hard Road Home we recommend the Hartley Film Foundation, a provider of outstanding religious documentary film across religious traditions.

For more information on Hard Road Home click here.

How Hard Road Home created community change
It all began when we showed the film “Hard Road Home”…                                                                                                                                                  The “Coming Home Prison ministry” at The Reformed Church of Bronxville was inspired by watching the documentary Hard Road Home.  It has generated more enthusiasm from our congregation than I’ve seen in 17 years of ministry. Congregants are generously engaged in everything from preparing meals, to teaching classes, mentoring, and even getting politically active to work on systemic issues around prison reform.

            Our church expanded our original vision of the ministry just to absorb the inspiring number of people who wanted be involved. Other congregations want to replicate the program. It has taken on a life of its own as relationships are building. Its been Transformational for all of us, the 11 extraordinary men recently released from Sing Sing, and our congregation, our community is growing and it is strengthening us all.

Dawn Ravella, LMSW.Director of Mission and Outreach                                                                                                                                    The Reformed Church of Bronxville

            “Hard Road Home made me aware of what people face when they come out of prison. Its unbelievable what they go through!”             -Sugar Genereaux , a congregant who was inspired by the film to help form a prison initiative at The Reformed Church of Bronxville

            “The program had helped me to express myself more. Also to look at things in a different way. It has made me more understanding about the needs of others and that giving back is a good thing to do. Has showed me that there are a lot of people who are willing to help an ex-prisoner to adjust back into the free world. We are very humble people that just need a second chance.”                                              -Craig Young, an ex-offender and graduate of The Reformed Church of Bronxville’s Coming Home ministry

How did they do it?
The Reformed Church of Bronxville organized a congregation-wide film screening of Hard Road Home.  There was such a response of excitement to use this as a mission opportunity that church leadership created a ministry project for formerly incarcarated people within the surrounding community.  This mission intiative is now a sustainable part of the life of the church.