“Somewhere along the way, I got sidetracked”
It was growing up in the rural north Mississippi town of Booneville where Stanley Stubbs developed a love of sports – particularly football and baseball. “We grew up in a blue-collar, Christian home,” Stanley said. Stanley’s father worked in construction and his mother in housekeeping. His parents instilled in Stanley and his siblings good Christian…
Addiction. Incarceration. Redemption.
Julie Crutcher was an addict for seven or eight years. She spent 11 months in prison. Her sister was raising her children. After she left prison, she went right back to using drugs. But that’s not the end of her story. Through rehabilitation at Crossroads Ministries and work with Musee Bath, Julie has turned her…
Freedom after 19 years in prison
“It’s like coming back to life.” That’s how Michael Moore describes his release after serving 19 years in prison. Michael became eligible for parole under the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act which was signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves earlier this year. Until this law took effect, Moore had not been parole-eligible and was…
Helping people find freedom
“We are helping people find freedom.” That’s how Tommy Wilson describes the work he’s doing through Living Free Ministries of Corinth. Wilson is on a mission to help people battling addiction because he understands what it means to be lost in a world of drugs and darkness. “I was addicted to drugs from age 18-32,”…
Educator hopes to open charters in Columbus and Jackson
Students in Columbus and in Jackson could soon have another option when it comes to education. Baskerville Squared (BSquared) Inc., based in Texas, is proposing two new schools – one in Columbus and one in Jackson. The organization’s application is before Mississippi’s Charter Authorizer Board and leaders say they are hopeful that they will be…
Family receives the news they were hoping for
Richard Michael Moore has received parole a week after the Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act became law. Under the new law, Moore was able to stand before the Mississippi Parole Board for the first time in 19 years. “Our son has been given a chance to make a life outside of prison,” Holly Moore, Michael’s…
Staring at the death penalty
“I know he’s bad, but he’s a good boy.” Those words spoken by the mother of a 16-year-old boy echoed through a courtroom in the Mississippi Delta as Eddie Spencer stood before the judge waiting to learn his fate. In 1979, Eddie was facing the possibility of the death penalty as one of his victims…
Family excited for chance at early reconnection after new law
The Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act was signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves this spring. Senate Bill 2795 provides the opportunity for people like Richard Michael Moore to stand before the parole board and plead his case for a second chance. Moore had not been eligible for parole and is 19 years into his 20-year sentence. Moore grew…
Law enforcement officer sees need for criminal justice reform
“Every profession is evolving, and law enforcement is no different.” Lt. Kevin Lavine of the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department recognizes that the “run hard and lock ‘em all up” strategy is no longer a viable one in the state of Mississippi. “I’ve been in law enforcement for over 30 years,” he said, “and it’s time…
State puts dreams, and career, on hold
Karrece Stewart’s dreams are on hold. They aren’t on hold because plans are still in the works. They aren’t on hold because she hasn’t found the perfect location to open her own makeup studio. No, they aren’t even on hold because she doesn’t have a client base. They are on hold because the State of…
“There is always hope”
“Goodwill gave me a career.” That’s something Jessica Maxwell-Flowers never dreamed possible while she was serving five years in prison at Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF). In fact, a career was the furthest thing from her mind during those days in the deadly grips of addiction. Jessica grew up in a home where drugs and…
The business of grace
Heath Ferguson is in the business of offering grace. Why? Because grace is what helped him change his life. Ferguson serves as the Chaplain and Director of Pastoral Care and Faith Relations at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. To look at Ferguson one might not see the former drug addict who found himself crossing the border…
From addiction and despair to a new life
“I’m a junkie. This is my life.” That’s what Mary Hirsch thought she was destined to be after spending years in and out of jail, a nine-month stay in prison, and losing everything in her life that she held dear. How could she turn her life around? There was no hope for her, she thought.…