Thousands of the men and women now incarcerated in California prisons, jails and youth facilities were married to someone on the outside at the time of their incarceration. But as you might imagine, the toll of imprisonment on spouses and families is almost incalculable.
In 2005, The New York Times estimated that “between a married man’s arrest and the end of his first year in prison, 80 percent of marriages break up… For female inmates, the divorce rate is closer to 100 percent.” [1]
One more recent study found that each year of incarceration increases the odds that the inmate’s marriage will end in divorce (before or after the inmate gets out of prison) by an average of 32 percent. [2]
Statistically speaking there isn’t much hope for couples in this situation to make their marriages work.
But as Chaplain Jeanine explains in this short video story, prayer, a desire to change, and God’s greater love produced an entirely unforeseen outcome for one married couple.
It’s a sweet and moving story. And one you might even want to share with your friends.
Feel free to leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.
Blessings,
David Fowler
Editor
Lightinprison.org
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/16/us/marriage-programs-try-to-instill-bliss-and-stability-behind-bars.html?_r=0
2. http://criminology.fsu.edu/news/fsu-criminologists-determine-every-year-of-a-prison-term-makes-a-couple-32-percent-more-likely-to-divorce/
