Giving hope to prisoners
NGO head conducts lessons and sharing sessions for inmates
KUALA LUMPUR: They are labelled as failures in society but he sees them as agents of hope and change.
Bobby John strongly believes in second chances, which is why he introduced Crossroads Malaysia, an NGO to connect with prison inmates in 2013.
The 57yearold managing director of the organisation leads a team of 14 volunteers in conducting monthly lessons and sharing sessions with inmates who are facing light sentences as well as those on death row.
Each session normally lasts for about oneandahalf hours.
Besides that, the team members act as mentors and friends to the inmates through the exchange of letters.
“We offer 12 courses and after each sharing session, we will offer them handouts to do and review and mark them accordingly.
“Every year, a graduation ceremony for about 20 inmates will be held in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate their achievements,” he said.
John has touched many lives as he ministered in halfway houses such as Rainbow Home and Second Chance Home, rehabilitation centres including Breakthrough Rehabilitation Centre and Serendah and Sungei Besi Cure and Care Rehabilitation Centre; as well as the Sungai Buloh and Kajang prisons.
Previously, John worked with Malaysian Care, a nonprofit Christian NGO under the Prison, Drugs and AIDS Department, for four years.
He was also instrumental in starting up Door of Hope, an NGO that trains and recruits volunteers to connect with inmates, in 2014.
John said he witnessed inmates, who were previously bitter and angry, being transformed into responsible and compassionate people.
“They say things like: ‘I don’t want to go back to where I was, I am really remorseful, I wish I have never done what I did,’” he said, adding that he could sense the genuineness in them.
“These are examples of reaffirmations that people do indeed deserve second chances. They deserve to be loved and cared for, just like everyone else,” he said.
Being brought up by loving parents, the eldest of three siblings knew how important it was to be loved and cared for.
Many of these inmates have lost contact with their families, receiving no jail visits or calls from their families.
“Love goes beyond emotional feelings. Love is when it’s in you to love despite the other person’s imperfections and that also means you are willing to forgive them,” he said, holding back tears.
John’s ultimate goal is to open a centre for inmates to come together as a community and learn living skills such as plumbing and cooking after being released from prison.