If you go
What: Not Alone support group for those with incarcerated loved onesDate: Feb. 25Time: 11 a.m.Place: Fellowship hall of LaFayette Presbyterian Church, 107 N. Main St.
Each year, the Georgia Department of Corrections reports that more than 52,000 offenders are locked up in the state's prisons, but there are no statistics as to the number of countless friends and families the inmates leave behind.
These spouses, parents, siblings and children are left to face the stresses of navigating the legal system and awaiting hearings and trials - all while never knowing what's truly going on with their loved one.
"It's like a living nightmare," said Jimmie Denson, a retired educator who knows the struggle all too well, though she didn't want to go into details.
She and Cathy Meyer, a missions coordinator and pastor at LaFayette Presbyterian Church, have started "Not Alone," a support group for those whose family members or friends have been incarcerated.
Each month, the group meets to remind those left behind that they are not alone. Attendees talk about their experiences to find comfort in those who can identify; share resources and tips about how to deal with anxiety; and discuss the financial difficulties that come with paying legal fees.
Since starting in October, the group has only attracted five attendees, but Meyer said the fault lies more with a lack of publicity than it does with a lack of need.
The average daily population in the Walker County Jail alone is 200 inmates, and Denson said she knows many who have friends or relatives within its and other jails' walls.
"We need to support each other in the crisis we're going through," Denson said.
While working to help those with incarcerated loved ones, LaFayette Presbyterian Church is also working to support inmates who are leaving prison and attempting to re-enter society.
In January, 1,365 inmates were released from Georgia prisons, state records show. Many return home only to find that family members have died or given up on them, said Denson.
"They literally walk out the door of the prison with not a single place to stay," she said.
Brent Martin, assistant chief with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, said that lack of opportunity can be detrimental.
"We see so many that get out and they have to go right back in the same environment," he said.
To help those returning citizens move forward, the church is hoping to purchase a house to give the released men and women a place to go, said Denson.
The church has also been one of the many local organizations working with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision's community task force to provide support by putting together care packages for returning citizens containing basic essentials such as a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Though Martin said the agency has been doing a good job of providing former inmates opportunities to succeed, he also noted how important it is to have involvement from community groups like LaFayette Presbyterian.
"The more partnerships that you make, the more successful that somebody's going to be when they get out," he explained.
Going forward, the church hopes to advocate for restorative justice, which takes the focus off punishing offenders and instead places it on reconciliation with the victim.
"Some of these people commit a crime one time, but they're punished the rest of their life for it," said Denson."I'm not saying people who have hurt someone else should just get off scot-free and clear, but I do believe they don't get rehabilitated and see a different way in prison."
The church envisions a system that brings perpetrators and victims together to hear each other out and settle on some kind of reparation for the crime, whether it be financial or through service. The solution would allow the offender to acknowledge his or her wrongdoing without ruining his or her life, said Meyer.
"That's very tricky," the pastor admits. "It's very involved, very difficult. But we believe it might make more sense, at least in some crimes, to offer that kind of alternative if the parties are agreeable to pursue that."
In the meantime, the church is working to get the Not Alone support group off the ground, and Meyer invites anyone with an incarcerated loved one, or anyone who just wants to offer support, to join.
The next meeting is Saturday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. in the fellowship hall of LaFayette Presbyterian Church, 107 N. Main St. Child care and refreshments will be available.