Earlier in the summer, I took some time to talk with Tracy who’s the Director of Imago Dei Prison Ministry. It was one of those conversations that filled me with hope and offered me a greater insight into the awesome work that, as people of faith, we can get involved with! Tracy has worked as a Free Church Chaplain in prison ministry for the past ten years, and currently works in three women’s prison. Tracy has a passion to see women from all walks of life, learn their true identity and live out their unique purpose.
Here is a transcript of our conversation - it is not often in our lives that we meet someone as inspiring and grace-filled as Tracy! My prayer is that this inspires you to find out more about the remarkable and life-changing ministry which Imago Dei is engaged with and helps you find out ways that you and your church can get involved too!
So, Tracy, what is your mission at Imago Dei?
Our mission is to equip women in prison and those leaving prison to live better lives and a better hope-filled future.
That sounds amazing – through what means does your charity help people?
We have 3 umbrella projects working with this vision:
ID Prison Ministry
ID Prison Ministry currently goes into 3 different women’s prisons in the South-East and equips and resources chaplaincy departments. Our teams facilitate a variety of courses and provide mentoring and pastoral support, prayer, Worship and Sunday services for the women in prison. The courses we offer cover topics such as Identity and Worth, Parenting, Understanding Loss, Victim Awareness and Understanding Forgiveness.
ID Grace House UK
Grace House seeks to offer housing and life skills training for up to 12 women leaving custody who may otherwise be homeless. Our goal is to provide the support and training needed to help all residents integrate well back into society and reduce the re-offending rate. Grace House is in the process of being set up.
ID Essence
ID Essence work with young offenders aged 18-25 years holding courses in prison based on subjects and themes that young offenders themselves have expressed an interest in, such as Managing Emotions; Relating to Others; Independent Living – Independent Growth; and Money.
We also offer mentoring, pastoral support and through-the gate chaplaincy for the women leaving prison.
We are currently working regularly in 3 women’s prisons in the South-East, Kent, Surrey, and South London. A fourth prison will also refer women to our Grace House project. In addition, we work with women in the local community who have been recently released, mainly back into London.
Thanks. It’s great to learn about such a variety of projects, both within prison and on release. I would be interested to find out more about why do you do what you do, Tracy?
From the first time I went into a women’s prison and had the opportunity to sit and listen to the circumstances and reasons behind various women’s situations I realised I could so easily have been in that situation myself. I had a pretty dysfunctional childhood myself and realised that if it hadn’t been for my Church youth leaders investing time in me as a 15 year old, and accepting me as I was, drawing out the gold in me as an individual I really don’t know where I would have ended up. I was given a chance to change my ways and found acceptance, love, and support – we all need and deserve that. After 5 years of being a chaplain I set up ID to do just that, to draw out the gold and the unique potential in the women that we get the privilege to work with. I want to help them deal with their past issues - often the root causes of their offence and to be healed and whole ready for release into a hope-filled future.
I appreciate you sharing this so openly, Tracy. I have to say that as an adult, feeling rather lonely, adrift and newly single in my late twenties, church was a place a great welcome and support to me, where I found a place of real welcome too… what kind of things have some of the women said about the impact of your work on their lives?
Here is some feedback from women who have participated in our FLOURISH courses:
“I realise that I can still go on and achieve my goals and not let my past define my future.
I now believe in myself. This course has been a great help to me.”
“The whole course has been extremely helpful to my self-confidence,
I never thought about how unique I really was. It was very enjoyable.”
“I realise now that I am unique!”
“The whole course has been great. I didn’t like myself at first, but now I do.”
And I would also like to share some comments from a prison leaver about the support she had received during her sentence:
“I wouldn’t have got through my prison sentence without the chapel in there, to be perfectly honest.
It’s what got me through my sentence.
All the courses that I done within the chapel are the courses that I still use to this day –
information that I learnt and things that I’ve been taught….
Even just about me as a person. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have got through it.”
Wow! What a difference your ministry is making to so many women. Real life-changing work that gives women hope and a renewed sense of identity and direction… could you tell me a bit about how you work with partner organisations and other groups to make your work happen?
We support and are partnering with Prisons Week and their week dedicated to praying for people involved in the Criminal Justice System each year.
We are also connecting with other charities and organisations who do similar work, through our #SheMatters campaign – uniting those who believe in each individual’s true value and worth and who are working with the same vision to support vulnerable women.
We have good relationships with PACT in one of the prisons and they refer women to us for our Parenting Course (PACT: Prison Advice and Care Trust).
In the process of setting up Grace House, we are gaining many contacts and links with other projects, sharing expertise and resources.
It is wonderful to see that you have such a great working relationship with other groups and that these networks are growing all the time. So what about your team of staff and volunteers. Why do they work with Imago Dei Prison Ministry and could you tell me what impact being able to serve in ministry with ID makes to them?
“I think one of the most painful things about spending time in prison, is seeing women come in, and hearing their stories from very, very painful backgrounds. Pain and situations that most of us can’t imagine. And to watch them grow. Just from having a safe space really. Just from having 3 square meals a day, and a bed often. To see them full of hope. Coming off drugs, full of hope for what meets them on the outside, for the future… And then sadly, to see them come back – very, very quickly. Sometimes within 2 or 3 weeks. Broken. Defeated. The cycle just goes on and on and on. And so I would like to help women break this cycle. That’s why I support #SheMatters and ID Prison Ministry.” ID Volunteer who has also been in prison herself.
“ID Prison Ministry does amazing work and makes a huge difference as we pray for and work with women in prison. And personally, I can’t wait to see Grace House open and see what God does to change women’s lives.” – ID Grace House Project Manager
“Working with women in prison and seeing all the hard work they do almost goes to waste because they go back to the same situation they came from, or worse - life on the streets, has given me a passion to see change. So many of the statistics around women in prison and as they leave are shocking – something has to change!” – ID trainer who works in prisons
I can see how much difference the work that you are all doing makes to women in prison and to help them as they leave prison. I appreciate you sharing these comments with me.
I am wondering if you could tell me a bit more about the statistics linked to women in prison to help us all to better understand why this work is so vital, Tracy?
Every year around 4,000 women are sent to prison.
· 53% having suffered emotional, physical, or sexual abuse during childhood
· 46% having suffered domestic violence
· Nearly half of women prisoners (48%) report having committed offences to support someone else’s drug use, compared to 22% of male prisoners
· Children in care were five times more likely to be sanctioned for an offence than children in the general population in 2016
· Around 31% of women in prison have spent time in care
· 57% have the expected literacy skills of an 11-year-old
· Out of all adult prisoners released in 2018, 67% of those who slept rough or were otherwise homeless went on to commit another crime within a year
· Nearly half of women (49%) left prison without settled accommodation—around one in 25 (4%) were sleeping rough on release in 2019–20
· Women are generally more positive than men about the benefits of purposeful activity in prison in helping them on release. However, just 4% of women were in paid employment six weeks after release from custody—compared to 10% of men
These are such thought-provoking and challenging stats… If someone is unsure of supporting prisons work, what would you say to them, Tracy?
Once you have been in a prison and sat and listened to someone share their story, seen a life transformed, you will be impacted and want to help out more – it is so rewarding. It is contagious! Everyone deserves a second chance – why not help them believe in themselves and be a part of their journey? We will chat later about how you can get involved and be part of that transformation….
So what challenges are you facing, in your ministry right now?
Due to covid there is still a lot of ‘bang up’- people confined to their cells for long periods of time and no usual regime back up and running. We are waiting to be able to recommence courses which will obviously be socially distanced and in smaller group sizes which means our waiting lists will take longer to get through.
Also finding the right property for Grace House and the funds to move the project forward.
So how can our member churches help you? Through prayer, through volunteering and through making donations to your work – could you tell us a bit more?
What can we do? How can we help?
Actions
Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with our projects and events.
Join us and learn more about our events here
Want to join our volunteer team? Email: admin@idprisonministry.org.uk
Prayer
Sign up to our prayer email here
Pray for the women coming up to their release date, that they may have somewhere safe to go and receive the support they need.
Pray for the women in prisons who are taking part in our courses, may be encouraged and built up.
Pray for wisdom for Tracy and the Trustees at Imago Dei Prison Ministry as we continue to grow. May we continue to reach more women, so more lives can be changed for the better.
Pray for prison regimes to reopen up safely and well to protect residents and staff alike
Pray for God to reveal himself to those He is seeking, healing and transforming through our courses once they restart next week and for his help as we facilitate groups
We also invite to you all to pray for:
Ongoing funds to maintain the work of ID and all our projects including Grace House
Wisdom for our Trustees as we consider new projects and future growth
Wisdom for our Council of Reference overseeing the Grace House project – so we can progress the project forward
Amen
Giving
Donate Buttons are found on our websites or on our Giving page
ALL DONATIONS AND SUPPORT ARE GRATEFULLY RECEIVED!
You can given us all lots of ways in which we can help your work and get more involved, so just before we conclude our time together, could you tell me why you love what you do?
One thing I love about my job is the variety, you never know what you are walking into each morning when you are a chaplain. And, seeing someone learn to believe in and value themselves, overcome their fears and their past circumstances, learn to set goals for their future and be given the opportunities to walk into those are some of the most rewarding things any job can give. I wouldn’t want to do anything else with any other group of people – women in prison are some of the most resilient, strong, incredible women you will find and to be involved in helping them is a true honour and joy.
—
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me, Tracy. I have been so inspired to get involved in your work and I hope and pray that through sharing more with our FCG member churches that we all find ways of supporting your work. I pray God’s blessing on you and your team and all those you serve. By way of a sign-off for this heartfelt and inspiring interview together, may I share this affirmation from Scripture to you and all your team!
“Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.”
Ephesians 1:15-16
In the name of Jesus, Amen!
