Christmas morning at home may be one of the essential family traditions for many in the valley, but when you have a parent in prison, that morning is out of reach. Last Thursday, The Crossing Church hosted a special Christmas family reunion for inmates. 3 News Las Vegas shared the story this morning.

For people like Robert Owens, who hasn’t seen his wife and children in years, at least, not like this, was a Christmas miracle.

“They’ve grown on me. They are almost half my height, the years have gone by so fast,” says Owens, looking at his young son. The two, displaying hair cuts that almost matched!

The years and time in transitional housing have seen more than changes to hairstyles, of course.

“They can see a change in me. I’m growing, physically, mentally, growing into the person I want to be. I’m almost there. I just got to keep on working for it,” said Owens.

Michael Frantz, prison consultant for Jail Time Consulting shares his positive thoughts on the event. “It’s marvelous that after years of being away from family, that inmates can reunite with their loved ones and share one night together. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could make this a more permanent result? With the First Step Act and the Second Chance Act, it’s possible! If you have a loved one in prison, give me a call at (800) 382-0868 to see what we can do for your family.”

More Details About the Night

Hope for Prisoners’ CEO Jon Ponder took to the stage, to share his own story to the 50 incarcerated men and women here with their families: “I know what it’s like to wake up on Christmas morning behind 50-foot walls without your family, and it broke my heart. But more importantly, I understood how much my family was missing me.”

This what the group considers the most crucial part of their inmate re-entry program – family reunification.

Here to help: community partners like the church and SOS Radio, gathering gifts for the kids, setting up Christmas trees, and serving Christmas dinner.

Four hundred volunteers, from the church alone, says senior pastor Shane Philip, who said this was one of the most meaningful events he’s seen as a pastor.

The same sentiment came from Owens, who embraced his son, saying, “Daddy loves you.”

Get Your Family Back Together

If this story touched your heart and if you have a family member in prison, contact Jail Time Consulting to see how we can create a more permanent family reunion for inmates.

Michael Frantz, Director of Jail Time Consulting, and the goal of all our employees is to have every inmate come home as soon as possible. We use the two sentence reduction programs listed above with the RDAP Drug Program, the Compassionate Release Program, and the Commutation of Sentence Program to get your loved ones home permanently! Call us today, 954-740-2253!

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