“Not in My Back Yard.” That was the battle cry among my neighbors when, as a real estate broker, I helped locate a medium-security prison complex in Pacific, Missouri. That didn’t exactly endear me to the community.

But because I was instrumental in bringing Missouri Eastern Correctional Center to the area, I wanted to help make it the best prison in Missouri. So when it finally opened and advertised for a VISTA to manage Volunteer in Corrections, a volunteer program designed to encourage offenders to take responsibility for their actions, I saw it as a great opportunity. I applied and was accepted.

Most of the prison staff was new to corrections when it opened, so we all had a lot to learn. Originally, the prison housed about 1,000 inmates in single occupancy cells. The inmates were high-medium security risks. When I could, I even assisted the new prison staff as an unofficial correction officer, filling in when an absence occurred. My role was to recruit, train, and supervise new community volunteers who would steer offenders toward success and focus on accountability, protection of the community, and competency development. I also protected volunteers from prisoners intent on preying on the sympathy of wellmeaning volunteers. I was popular among the inmates because they recognized the value of the Volunteer in Corrections program.

Most of my volunteers came from interested church groups. I tried to recruit people who would serve the inmates’ needs and help them improve themselves. One of those needs, surprisingly, included a bridge group. There was a group of prisoners who played bridge in their spare time, so I asked an outside bridge group to join them. They brought their excellent card talent to the prisoners and everyone had a great time. Another activity among inmates was called “talking books,” in which inmates would tape record books for the blind. A few volunteers came to assist and provide advice in their efforts.

My VISTA work got a big boost through Prison Fellowship, a group developed by Charles “Chuck” Colson, a man who worked for President Nixon. In 1974 Chuck entered a guilty plea to Watergate-related charges and served time in prison. While incarcerated, he found religion and founded Prison Fellowship in 1976. In collaboration with all religions, Prison Fellowship has become the world’s largest outreach to prisoners, crime victims, and their families. The Fellowship movement has built a working relationship with more than 40,000 prison ministry volunteers. Since most of my volunteers came from religious organizations, his influence helped my recruiting efforts. He even honored us by making a personal appearance at the prison to recognize the inmates and volunteers for their good work.

As a Catholic, I noticed the Catholic faith was not heavily represented in the prison’s faith-based programs, so I made contact with Archbishop John May of St. Louis. He responded by calling on a group of Catholics who became active. After a year of work, the Archbishop visited and said Mass in our chapel for interested prisoners and volunteers. We became close friends for the effort.

Of the 750 or so religious volunteers, I believe the Nation of Islam was the most constructive in their work. Their message was not tilted toward sorrow for the situation in which the inmates found themselves, but geared to betterment by being responsible for each individual’s actions.

Influenced by Volunteer in Corrections programs, prisoners began proposing constructive programs of their own. The inmates proposed a “Scared Straight” type of program called “Youth Awareness.” Developed by the prisoners and approved by the administration, it involved 12 to 15 inmates who used their experiences to try to “scare straight” young offenders. The chairman of the group was doing 25 life terms and the others were almost as bad, so they had a lot to offer. During the program, they scared the kids pretty good. The only thing I can say with certainty is the inmates got the kids’ attention. I hope none of those kids fell into a life of crime after that.

During my VISTA service, the prison administration nominated me for two volunteer awards and the United Way and the JC Penney Group recognized our work. I served for two one-year terms as a VISTA and when the program was not extended, I was hired as a State Corrections Officer, where I stayed until I retired.

So here I am, 80 years old and still not finished. Following retirement, I got involved in politics again (I was a Missouri State Representative in the mid-sixties), believing I could help in other ways. I ran for several state and federal offices between 1996 and 2004. More recently, AmeriCorps asked me to be a district “Community Outreach Representative,” working career days at St. Louis area universities. At St. Louis University and Washington University, I distributed about 3,000 pieces of literature.

I credit VISTA with a lot of things. Through their efforts, we turned a “Not in my backyard” battle cry into a community of volunteers willing to help convicted criminals right in their backyard. And we saw results—communities that help rather than turn a blind eye toward issues behind prison walls, a prison where criminals learn to hold themselves accountable for their actions, and prisoners who reach out to help the community. If VISTA service can do this in my backyard, I think it can help in anyone’s backyard.

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