Stories of Faith From a Historic Prison

Around the world, volunteers among Jehovah’s Witnesses visit penal institutions in order to assist inmates who sincerely want to draw close to God. For more than 20 years, we have successfully conducted such a Bible educational program in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. Studying the Bible in a prison environment is challenging. As volunteer ministers, we have dealt with bank robbers, extortioners, murderers, drug dealers, con artists, and sex offenders. How are such individuals helped?

 FIRST, you may be interested to learn when and how Jehovah’s Witnesses originally entered this prison. It was July 4, 1918. A group of eight distinguished Christian ministers were escorted up the 15 granite steps of this federal penitentiary. If the common practice of the time was followed, they were handcuffed to “belly-chains,” with their legs shackled. The newcomers were spiritually qualified men who took the lead among the International Bible Students, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then known. Those men could not have guessed that it would take less than a year to establish that their imprisonment was a gross miscarriage of justice. In March 1919, the eight Witness ministers walked down those same prison steps, unshackled and free. They were later exonerated when the authorities decided to withdraw the prosecution. *

During their imprisonment in Atlanta, those Christian men conducted Bible study classes. One of the eight inmates, A. H. Macmillan, later reported that the deputy warden was hostile at first but was finally moved to exclaim: “Those lessons you are having there [with the prisoners] are wonderful!”

Today, over 80 years later, productive Bible study classes continue to make lasting impressions on individuals in that very prison. On several occasions prison officials have singled out members of our team for special recognition and honorary awards. The effectiveness of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ educational programs has also been featured in Volunteer Today, a national newsletter published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons.

One of the benefits of the program of Bible study with inmates is a remarkable improvement in their conduct. As a result, some have gained an earlier release from prison. Cynical observers might assume that convicts only study the Bible with us for such a reason. While that has been true in a few cases, our experience has often shown otherwise. We are thrilled again and again to learn that our students are still maintaining good Christian conduct many years after their release from prison. The following are a few of the many experiences we have enjoyed behind the towering walls of this historic facility.

Immigrant Inmates Find Hope

In the early 1980’s, those of us preaching in the Atlanta penitentiary enjoyed the privilege of assisting many immigrant prisoners. Some of the transformations were extraordinary.

Raoul * started out as a truly dangerous inmate. He and a friend were career criminals serving time for murder. They were particularly violent, according to the elders who helped them. Raoul had mortal enemies. One man had vowed to kill Raoul, and Raoul had vowed to do the same to him. Raoul was terrified when his archenemy was transferred to Atlanta. It seemed only a matter of time before these two longtime foes would cross paths in the yard, the cafeteria, or the cell block. However, after studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Raoul made dramatic changes in his thinking, manner, and appearance. When the two men finally did pass each other in the prison yard, Raoul’s archenemy did not even recognize him! The bloody confrontation that had seemed inevitable never materialized.

When Raoul decided to symbolize his dedication to God by baptism, a suitable water container had to be found. The prison chaplain came to the rescue, providing a  black coffin as a baptismal tank. The coffin was filled to the brim with water. But Raoul seemed larger than the coffin. So two elders had to work together to ensure that Raoul was entirely immersed, as the Bible requires. (Luke 3:21, footnote) Today Raoul is a free man and continues to serve as a zealous Christian minister.

In 1987 a ruling to deport many immigrant inmates led to a destructive and fiery rampage in the prison that made international news. Hostages were taken. What few people know, however, are the stories of courageous immigrant prisoners who put their lives on the line by refusing to join in the explosive and violent revolt. They were students of our Bible study classes. These men, who were once quick to fight to the death, remained neutral—no part of the violence and vandalism. What an eloquent testimony to the Bible’s power to transform even brutal criminals into peace-loving Christians!—Hebrews 4:12.

Finding Forgiveness

Another memorable experience was that of James. He had been one of Jehovah’s Witnesses but had allowed himself to grow weak spiritually. He succumbed to temptation and committed bank fraud. He was disfellowshipped from the Christian congregation and imprisoned in the Atlanta federal penitentiary. He later told us: “It was by far the lowest point in my life.”

Life in prison was hard. “I suffered terrible feelings of isolation and despair,” James recalled. However, his incarceration in a cramped prison cell led him to do some serious soul-searching. He described it this way: “What hurt me most in prison was not my personal discomfort but the way I had  let my heavenly Father down.” After several months one of the inmates who was studying the Bible with the Witness volunteers approached James and invited him to attend the Bible study classes. Ashamed, James refused at first. But the young man persisted, and eventually James attended a Sunday meeting.

He was deeply moved to see the loving concern for the students shown by the Witnesses conducting the class. Later something else struck him. Because of prior experiences, James had assumed that all religious volunteers were well paid for their work with inmates. But to his surprise he learned that the Witnesses submitted no invoices and received no cash payments for their services.—Matthew 10:8.

James began to look forward eagerly to the meetings. He found the brothers who conducted those meetings to be kind and encouraging. One elder in particular impressed him. “I counted the days until his next visit,” James recalls, “because he made the truth of God’s Word come alive; his spirit was infectious. He impressed on me the need to read the Bible analytically in order to get the true sense of the message—to make it truly my own and, more important, to develop the mind of Christ.”

James had a hard time believing that God could forgive his mistakes. What helped him? “God’s forgiveness was reflected in the treatment we received from faithful and self-sacrificing men. * One thing became very clear: In spite of my terrible sins, the  brother never gave even the slightest impression that God could not forgive me. Jehovah never let me go. He saw my heartfelt repentance and my repudiation of such a foolish and fraudulent course; and he has richly blessed me.” Indeed, James was reinstated into the Christian congregation. Released from prison about a decade ago, he has remained active and zealous. To the delight of his wife and family, he is now a ministerial servant and recently gave his first public talk.

Finding the Way

We met Johnny in the early 1990’s. His family had some connection with Jehovah’s Witnesses, but none were spiritually strong during Johnny’s formative years, when he needed spiritual and moral guidance. Johnny drifted into a life of crime. He was sentenced to serve in the federal prison camp adjacent to the Atlanta penitentiary. During his term in the camp, he learned of our Bible study classes and decided to attend.

At first, Johnny could barely read. However, he was so eager to take in more knowledge about Jehovah and Jesus Christ that he was determined to learn to read proficiently. (John 17:3) Our study classes often help inmates in this regard, especially when it comes to reading comprehension and public reading. Johnny worked so hard at his studies that his fellow students began to look up to him as an example of what a serious Bible student should be.

Many months later Johnny was transferred to the federal facility in Talladega, Alabama, to attend one of its educational programs on drugs. Upon his arrival, he quickly got involved in the Christian meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses that were held there. He maintained an active role until he was finally released. And when that happy day arrived, Johnny wasted no time in contacting the Witnesses in his small hometown. He was warmly received and continued to study and make spiritual progress.

Johnny’s enthusiasm and love for Bible truth has also encouraged his mother to become more involved in congregation activities. He is a great source of strength and practical help to her. Recently he was baptized in symbol of his dedication to Jehovah God, and he continues to have an active share in the Christian ministry.

A Bountiful Harvest

During the past two decades, more than 40 inmates at the Atlanta penitentiary have been helped to become baptized ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses; more than 90 other inmates have also benefited from weekly Bible studies. Other prisoners have been baptized after being released from prison or moving to other prisons.

Those of us who visit this historic prison week after week to assist truly penitent inmates are thankful to serve in this unique Christian ministry. (Acts 3:19; 2 Corinthians 7:8-13) In a grim setting of gun towers, guards, electric gates, and gleaming coils of razor wire, we have been filled with joy and awe to see federal criminals turning their lives around and becoming honest citizens and faithful worshipers of God.—1 Corinthians 6:9-11.—Contributed.

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“You Have Entertained Some of My Very Best Friends”

IN April 1983, Frederick W. Franz, who then served on the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, visited the U.S. penitentiary in Atlanta. He had been quite anxious to visit this particular prison. As he entered the building, he loudly exclaimed to the guard seated at the desk in the foyer: “I want you to know that you have entertained some of my very best friends here!” The guard looked puzzled, to say the least. What was Franz talking about?

It was 64 years earlier that Joseph F. Rutherford and his seven associates were falsely convicted of conspiracy. Rutherford and Franz later became close friends and workmates. Now, over 40 years after Rutherford’s death—and when he himself was about 90 years of age—Franz was delighted to visit the scene of his friend’s imprisonment so long ago. No doubt he thought about the work that Rutherford and his associates had done within those walls. What was that?

Shortly after Rutherford and his associates arrived, the deputy warden told them: “We are going to give you some work to do. Now, what can you do?”

“Deputy,” answered A. H. Macmillan, one of the eight, “I’ve never done anything in my life but preach. Have you got anything like that here?”

“No, sir! That’s what you are in here for, and I tell you now you are not doing any preaching here.”

Several weeks passed. All the prisoners were required to attend chapel service on Sunday, and as many as desired could remain for Sunday school afterward. The eight men decided to form their own Bible study class, which they took turns conducting. “Some curiosity seekers began to come, and still more came,” Rutherford later explained. Soon the little group of 8 grew to 90!

How did the prisoners respond to the Bible study class? One prisoner said: “I am seventy-two years of age, and I had to get behind prison bars in order to hear the truth. I am glad for this reason that I was sent to the penitentiary.” Another remarked: “My time is about to expire; I am sorry I have to leave . . . Can you tell me where I can find some people like you when I go away?”

The night before the eight men were released, they received a touching letter from a young man who had attended their class. He wrote: “I want you to know that you have left with me a desire to be a better, bigger man, if such can emerge from a carcass so soiled and world-worn as mine. . . . I’m weak, very weak, no one knows this better than I, but I’ll try and I’ll fight with myself if necessary, to achieve the full fruits from this seed you have planted, so I may help not only myself but those about me. This may all sound odd, coming from such as I, but deep, way deep in my heart I mean it, every word.”

Today, well over 80 years later, seeds of Bible truth are still being sown by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Atlanta penitentiary—as well as in many other prisons.—1 Corinthians 3:6, 7.