Church & Society Task Force
Prison Reform/Death Penalty
Ministries of Faith in Action
DSC Prison Reform Sub-Committee
At the 28th Session of Annual Conference, resolution 21.10 Mass Incarceration and Restorative Justice was passed. It was resolved that the Bishop appoint a committee of 5 to 7 people to join in the efforts with other United Methodists and the General Board of Church and Society to end mass incarceration by becoming actively involved throughout our Annual Conference by educating members and becoming involved in ministries and opportunities for:
- Sentencing Reform
- Ending Prison Privatization
- Developing Just Re-Entry Programs
- Increasing Participation and Opportunities for In-Prison Ministry
News & Events
Prison Reform Task Force Notes
August 24, 2022 at 1 pm In attendance: Paul Bullis, Jim Ek, Patty Ek, Billie Fidlin, Bethany Lambrecht, Rae Lathrop Next meeting: Wed., Sept 28 at 1 pm. Zoom info will be sent prior. Paul opened the meeting in prayer. Rae Lathrop (Las Vegas) joined our team. She...
“Questioning the Death Penalty” Reboot
The DSC Prison Reform/Death Penalty Task Force hosted the “Questioning the Death Penalty” video series earlier this year, but we need to keep the discussion going! The death penalty continues to be an urgent issue as Arizona rushes toward its third execution this...
DSC Prison Reform/Death Penalty Task Force announce registration is open for national summit on mass incarceration
Learn how to transform your Congregation, Community at the National Summit on Mass Incarceration October 20-22, 2022.
Halt Arizona’s Death March to Executions
WE NEED TO HALT ARIZONA’S DEATH MARCH TO EXECUTING PRISONERS The State of Arizona is poised to resume executing its death row prisoners. We must act now to halt Arizona’s death march to executions. ARIZONA IS READY TO EXECUTE PRISONERS There are 116 men and women...
Join the Webinar on Private Prisons
“Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured” (Hebrews 13:3) For-profit private prisons are a multi-billion dollar industry in this country. The industry’s sole...
Not My Problem. But As Christians, It Is.
On May 11, AZ Central published the following article: 74 Cases in Arizona Prisons The Arizona Department of Corrections' online dashboard said 74 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday. The cases are at these five facilities: 53 in Florence, nine...
Prison Reform and COVID-19
PRISONERS AND THE CORONAVIRUS Jails and prisons, with so many people packed into small spaces, have been referred to as “incubators” and “amplifiers” of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. What should be done to protect incarcerated and detained individuals from...
Not Interested in Prison Ministry
Not sure if prison ministry is your thing? Just show up and talk with someone. No skills required. “I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:36)
How can your church increase vitality by touring the Maricopa Re-entry Center (MRC) on January 16th?
In case you missed the May invitation. Here's the event details with a donation list added. Contact Dean Richardson if you have questions.
RSVP for an evening with Khalil Rushdan
RSVP to hear the details of Khalil’s journey and about the work he does now as a mentor and resource for formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as his work as a leader who brings solutions to the community empowering others by helping to rebuild their lives upon release from incarceration.
Contact
Paul Bullis
Chair
Billie Fidlin
Director of Outreach & Justice
Call the Desert Southwest Conference
Email Paul
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Prison Reform/Death Penalty Archives
Team Members
Ed Brown
Jim Ek
Patty Ek
Sabrina Ayers Fisher
Steve Harvey
Bethany Lambrecht
Rae Lathrop
Jeff Nelson
Resources
Questioning the Death Penalty Webinar Series (select to see more)
In this season of repentance the Desert Southwest Conference Prison Reform task force is hosting a post-Easter video/Zoom series on “Questioning the Death Penalty” featuring Sister Helen Prejean the author of “Dead Man Walking,” “The Death of Innocents,” and “Where Justice and Mercy Meet.”
Select from the list below to go to YouTube and watch each session.
Click here to open and download the Fact Sheet association with this event.
Problems with Private Prisons
Click here to view the whole video.
An Evening with Khalil
Click here to view the whole video.
Prison Reform Talk #1
Click here to view the whole video.
Prison Reform Talk #2
Click here to view the whole video.
Prison Reform Talk #3
Click here to view the whole video.
