In a 2003 visit to Angola prison in Louisiana, Jon Ozmint, then-director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections, felt sure that God had planted a vision in his heart and mind that could help inmates while also helping the SCDC. When he shared that vision with Dr. David Osterlund, recently retired from Columbia International University, a partnership with CIU was born that became The Prison Initiative.

As of January, 2025, this Program has graduated 214 inmates of SCDC with an Associate degree in Biblical Studies from Columbia International University. After graduation, they are sent out to the prisons of SCDC to minister in whatever capacity is needed. Their stories of God's redemption in their lives and their insights into being a student in the Prison Initiative Program are truly encouraging.

This book is the story of the beginning and the working out of this program, quite often in the words of the inmate-students themselves. May you be encouraged as you see evidence of God's hands working in the stories and quotes on every page.