Most folks just breeze past the sign on Hwy 281 in Burnet that points to the women’s prison, but for the 1,100 ladies who reside there for 6 to 8 months during their rehab treatment, it’s a life-changing place. As a longtime volunteer at the Ellen Halbert Unit, a Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility, I regularly subject myself to the familiar routine of prison life to facilitate a Breaking Free Bible study, one of nine faith based groups who volunteer at Halbert.
Once inside, the officers carefully take us through a search and pat down, lead us through a series of locked doors, and escort us to a tiny classroom where we set up tables, workbooks and videos. Our ladies have been up since 3.30 a.m. doing various jobs and working their program, so we begin at 6:30 p.m. sharp.
We say a prayer that the aging TV/DVD player will work properly as we wait for our new group of ladies to enter the cramped classroom in their white cotton uniforms, single file with their hands clasped behind their backs. They enter with exhaustion and despair etched on their faces, but to their surprise we reach out for a hand shake. A few begin to weep, since touching one another is not allowed during their stay at the Halbert Unit, and that simple act of human contact touches their heart. They each take a workbook and a pencil, sit down in bunk order, and we start the meeting with a song, a prayer and a video. When we break up into small discussion groups, they begin to process the deep issues of life and take up the tools of faith to sustain their freedom.
In my first small group of 10 ladies, I took a poll and 49 children and grandchildren were represented! I was taken aback when I considered the lasting ripple effect of our time together. Our goal is to give these ladies a new and permanent identity. Perhaps their family had a history of violence, alcoholism or addiction, or suffered abuses at the hands of another; but in our classes they find out that they are unique individuals who have great worth in the eyes of God. They learn about unconditional love, forgiveness, kindness, self-control and joy – and week after week they see total strangers care enough to show up and give them the tools to carry home. During these small group sessions, their personal stories pour out as they begin to process how they will rejoin their families as productive citizens in the months to come. These ladies are not offenders any more than the person next to you. They are women of all ages and backgrounds who have gotten swept up in our culture of drug and alcohol abuse.
A young woman named Tracey, barely 22 years old, tells of the time she sat trembling in the driver’s seat waiting for the officer to approach the car. Her erratic driving had ended in a minor collision with a family of four. She knew she was headed to jail, having had too much to drink again. Alcohol and drugs had become her full-time obsession. CPS had just taken her two young toddlers and placed them with her grandparents, and while her heart ached for her failures, she could not stop the destructive habits on her own. She had already lost her job and her family no longer trusted her. Earlier that day she had cried out, “God, if you can hear me, help! I cannot do this by myself!” Right on cue, she was arrested. God sent help. When the judge sentenced her, she was given an opportunity to go to Burnet for a treatment program. If she could complete the rehabilitation program in 6 to 8 months, she’d be allowed to return back to the free world. If not, she would go to prison for a longer sentence.
Chaplaincy volunteers in the prison hear this story in every small group setting. “God sent help when I finally cried out to Him, really wanting to change.” At the Halbert Unit, the women are given the tools to become productive citizens and overcome their addictions. A packed day of their residential treatment program includes group therapy sessions, step programs, GED, classes for parenting, anger management and much more. They each have a job, such as cooking or cleaning. A few get to clean up the state parks in our area, saving the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. If they sign up for the optional faith based classes in the evenings, they must be truly desperate for a change.
Most of the women are victims of abuse. Many come from impoverished or broken families. Some get help with their GED. Others have college educations, but their careers, homes and families have been stripped away. All of their children and loved ones are discouraged and weary. Most enter the facility in despair, but often a glimpse of a better way from a kind stranger puts them on a better path and brings about a permanent change.
The faith-based classes and programs are making that possible, and the rate of return in the Texas prison system has been reduced drastically over the last 10 years as these volunteer programs have increased. Chaplaincy programs bring God back into the prison and help the ladies who pass through our community at the Halbert Unit leave behind the shackles of addiction permanently. Over 200 faith-based volunteers currently come to the Burnet facility bringing a message of love and hope to these women.
Because these classes are successful, there’s often a waiting list, and women are turned away due to lack of space. The problem is that when Texas built the prisons during the 90’s, they ran out of money before they built most of the chapels. Volunteers must use the classrooms in the education wing. When I asked why there was no chapel for worship or faith-based programs years ago, the chaplain explained, “In other Texas prisons, the surrounding area churches got together to build a chapel for the prisoners. Although the state will provide the adjacent land, no one has come forward here to build a chapel yet.”
Enter Joseph’s Hammer, a 501(c)3 formed in 2018 for the sole purpose of raising funds to build a faith-based facility at Halbert. A woman leaving this rehab program will be returning to a community near you or your children soon. She will either be equipped to start over with confidence and hope, or she will be frightened and angry. Burnet and surrounding counties have a generous and vibrant faith community and can greatly impact the entire state of Texas by providing a place of worship at the Halbert Unit. Find out more at josephshammer.org or join our efforts to build a chapel by sending a
