Corrections_Today_September_October_2020_Vol.82_No.5

nEWS & vIEWS

The project, aptly named Visita- tion 2.0, is a five-part digital series, featuring top performing artists and recognized speakers, designed to bring a message of love, hope, sup- port and encouragement specifically to those who are incarcerated and their families during these unprec- edented times. We also created a way (through our website) for anyone in- terested to submit a short “shout-out” video to the incarcerated popula- tion. Many of those clips have been woven into the episodes. For the first time in history, we brought together a broad spectrum of talented individu- als who care about the incarcerated in order to create a single message. This message was created, devel- oped and influenced by, the voices of family members, volunteers, prison ministries, celebrities, athletes, mo- tivational speakers, singers, artists, activists, formerly incarcerated and political leaders.

the inside to make it happen. Most commonly that staff person has been a chaplain. It also requires 4 th Purpose to work with every correc- tional facility individually in order to make Visitation 2.0 available in whatever medium is needed for their specific setting. The willingness of top performers and celebrities to be part of Visitation 2.0 has been surprising and exciting. We’ve enlisted a comprehensive network of organizations to support and help spread the word about Visi- tation 2.0. These entities include: the American Correctional Association, Correctional Leaders Association, American Correctional Chaplains Association, Correctional Ministries and Chaplains Association, Global Leadership Network, Prison Fel- lowship, God Behind Bars, Alpha, Kairos, Celebrate Recovery on the Inside, Lifeline Global Ministries, Good News Jails and Prisons, Every Youth Every Facility, and many others. We also gained the coopera- tion of two prison tablet companies, Edovo and APDS, who are stream- ing Visitation 2.0 at no cost to their inmate tablet users.

Praise for Visitation 2.0 The willingness of top perform- ers and celebrities to be part of Visitation 2.0 has been surprising and exciting. The talent lineup has included: Pastors Rick Warren and Albert Tate; hip-hop artists Lecrae, Common, KB and Propaganda; Christian contemporary artists Mi- chael W. Smith, CeCe Winans, Zach Williams and We Are Messengers; Civil Rights icons Ambassador An- drew Young and John Hope Bryant; NFL athletes Sam Acho and Eddie George; comedian Michael Jr.; ac- tors Willie Robertson, Davide and Christina Arquette; and many more. There are also inspiring stories from the formerly incarcerated who are now out and making a differ- ence in the world. Some of the most moving sections of the episodes are the family shout-outs. Having faces of family members affected by incarceration helps emphasize the reality that those behind bars are part of a larger community who loves them and longs for their safe return home. The role of the chaplain in Visitation 2.0 Surprisingly, making a terrific product full of quality entertainment has been the easy part. It’s getting the episodes into the facilities so those in custody have the opportu- nity to watch them that’s been the hard part. Adequate technology is not readily available in most prison and jail settings, and every facility handles content sharing differently. If Visitation 2.0 is going to make it in front of the eyes of more inmates, it’s going to take a staff member on

Photo courtesy of Kodi Schutte and 4 th Purpose Smith and the Visitation 2.0 program observe how communication has changed due to COVID-19.

12 — September/October 2020 Corrections Today