This week is Prisons Week, with the theme that ‘God’s word is not chained’ (2 Timothy 2:29). We talk to Lisa Ustok, a member of the worshipping community at Trinity Cheltenham and Health and Justice Partnerships Coordinator across Gloucestershire and the South West of England – a strategic role which involves liaising with prisons, healthcare providers, probation, and partner agencies.
During Prisons Week, churches are invited to pray for those affected by crime and imprisonment – prisoners, their families, victims, and those working in the justice system. We see that even where freedom is restricted, the work of God continues to move there and bring change.
Lisa’s work focuses on ensuring that people in custody and on probation can access the healthcare and support they need, from mental health care to addiction treatment and social rehabilitation.
She said: “Many of the people I work with face deep challenges such as poor mental health, addiction, neurodiversity, homelessness, and trauma. These often play a part in offending and can make rehabilitation difficult – but rehabilitation can work through real relationships and persistence.
“Prisoners are people who have made wrong decisions, but they are still people. My faith reminds me that people can change, and that we should give them every opportunity to do so.”
Lisa’s faith has guided her from an early age. She was raised in a Christian family and her parents were very rehabilitation-minded: “My dad used to visit people in prison, and he also ran a drug rehab centre. I was raised with the belief that people can change, that it’s important to give people the opportunity to turn away from crime or addiction and to find a better life,” she said.
Lisa worked as a probation officer for 25 years before her current role, supporting individuals through prison sentences and community orders.
She said: “My heart is for both justice and compassion. My faith guides me, but so does my humanity. Many people in the criminal justice system have done bad things, but many have also experienced bad things. Protecting the public is vital, and safeguarding is an essential part of this work, but so is offering people a route out of destructive behaviour.
“As well as rehabilitation, part of the emphasis of probation is risk management, public protection, and reducing reoffending. We always need to have a careful balance between protection and rehabilitation.”
Prisons Week calls us to remember that faith is not confined to churches or chapels, but it reaches into the hardest places. Within the criminal justice system, there are many people of faith putting those principles into practice — chaplains, volunteers, officers, healthcare staff and probation workers. They bring compassion, fairness, and a belief in human dignity to environments where hope can be hard to find.
“Church can be a place where people feel accepted,” Lisa said. “In prisons, chaplains and faith groups provide support, but it matters too that when people leave prison, they can find communities willing to welcome them safely and wisely. ”
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I liked what you wrote Lisa there’s always hope people can change and develop new ways of living. It’s also good to remember that many prisoners have been damaged by family and others and it takes time to find new ways of living.