35. Prison Ministry in Colorado

Welcome to Episode 35, where the host of the Western Friend Podcast chats with Elaine Granata and David Poundstone about their work visiting and conversing with incarcerated folks. Both Elaine and David are members of Mountain View Friends Meeting in Denver, who spoke with us about their experiences visiting men in federal prisons through the Prisoner Visitation and Support (PVS) program.

You can also read the articles they wrote for the May/June 2024 issue of Western Friend magazine below:

A Certain Naïveté by Elaine Granata

In the Twilight Zone by David Poundstone

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:42 What is the Prisoner Visitation and Support Program?
• 3:01 On getting involved in this work
• 7:32 Stories of few memorable and meaningful relationships
• 11:01 Do the relationships continue outside of prison?
• 13:03 Is volunteering a selfish act? What are some of the benefits?
• 23:53 On the power of listening
• 28:30 Reflections on the show “Unlocked” and the "entertainment" of incarceration
• 33:11 On being “watched” vs being “seen"
• 34:13 Question and Answer with the public