​​ Prison Ministries

Our interviews with formerly incarcerated people indicate that people who identify as gay, lesbian, transgender, or questioning are often not welcome at worship services or Bible study inside prisons, nor are people who question the teachings of the tradition or the worship leaders can offer a liberal religious home to people who are interested in spirituality more than religion, are reflecting on important questions and seeking truth and meaning, have a gender identity or sexual orientation other than heterosexual, or are survivors of domestic violence.
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Advocacy

We are organizing Illinois Unitarian Universalist congregations to advocate for policy changes in Illinois related to prisons. This includes; setting strict limits on the use of solitary confinement, reforming bail/bond system, ensuring people being released from prison be issued state ID and allowing returning citizens access to more job opportunities.
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Congregations

Congregations are an integral part of our work at UU Prison Ministry. Congregations take our work further than we can as individuals both by participating directly with those returning to our communities in Solidarity Circles and by writing; visiting those who are locked up. We affirm this extension of our work through education and supportive events. We are grateful for the many congregational teams which, in this way, are engaged in supporting the work of justice and reform. If your congregation has already engaged UUPMI, click on its name in the list below for more contact information.
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