When I was in prison, you … educated me Hope to the Hopeless opens new doors for inmates

By Nancy C. Zugschwert MA

Four years in prison was enough for Steven D. Scott, M.S., to know he never wanted to go back. Yet he is grateful for his incarceration because it was in a Nebraska prison where he found Jesus—in the pages of the Holy Bible.

“I had read a hundred books in prison,” said Scott, founder of Hope to the Hopeless, explaining his voracious prison reading habit, “because there wasn’t anything else to do. I decided I’d pick up the Bible— more for scholarly pursuit. I had read all these books and thought, ‘I’ve got two years, I’m reading all the classics, and [the Bible] is such an important book.’”

Scott continued, “I was planning on reading a Quran, too, but I never got to it because after I read the Bible, I thought, “Oh wow. This is actually true!’”

Once he knew the truth of the Bible, he realized he needed to change his life based on it. “You know, it spoke to me, and I was like … I can’t keep doing what I’m doing if I believe this is true.”

Giving Back

After Scott’s release from prison in 2015, he finished his bachelor’s degree and earned a master’s degree, but he wasn’t satisfied to just move forward with his own life.

“When I was released,” he explained, “I wanted to give back. I felt like there was more that people could be doing to help [inmates] rehabilitate—not just be punished. They want to use time productively and correct behaviors.”

Through that seed of an idea and his desire to help, Scott founded a nonprofit with his brother that brought University of Nebraska classes into penitentiaries in Lincoln and Omaha. He was pleased with the program and believed it would help since research shows that taking college classes in prison results in a 50 percent reduction in recidivism.

But in his heart, Scott knew that he wasn’t changed because of his college education but because of Christ. And an even better scenario would be to bring Christ-centered education into the prison. “Even though the college degree is great and it’s a step forward,” Scott said, “I think the strongest way is to make it faith-based.”

A Good Pairing

Scott was still pursuing his educational dreams, as well. He was carrying a 4.0 GPA toward his Ph.D. when he was unexpectedly dropped from the program. The university had not realized he was a felon and, when they found out, denied him the opportunity to continue.

Scott was still pursuing his educational dreams, as well. He was carrying a 4.0 GPA toward his Ph.D. when he was unexpectedly dropped from the program. The university had not realized he was a felon and, when they found out, denied him the opportunity to continue.

Getting kicked out was a big disappointment, but Scott used it as the impetus to pursue—in earnest—the idea of bringing Christian education to prisons. He formed Hope to the Hopeless and wrote a proposal to send to colleges, believing, “If God wants it to happen, it will happen.”

But after sending out inquiries to multiple colleges, the doors either closed, or he heard nothing at all. He was ready to give up on the idea until an ad for Crown College classes being offered in Omaha popped up on his phone. Scott has no recollection of seeking that information, but there it was. “I thought, ‘Well, I guess this is one more; I’ll try them.’” He reached out to the director of Crown College’s Omaha site, and in short order, he was connected to Dr. Fawn McCracken, Associate Vice President of Adult Online and Graduate Studies at Crown College.

Christian Ministry for inmates in the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Faculty from a local community college will teach eight general education courses.

The degree-specific courses will be led by Crown adjunct faculty who teach in their church-based program in Omaha.

McCracken recalled that her conversations with Scott quickly led to a mutual understanding that this could be a good pairing. Scott already had experience bringing college education into prisons, and Crown had already been offering on-site classes in Omaha.

After many conversations with Steven, we realized that this was kind of central to our mission,” McCracken said. “It just fits very well with providing biblically based education [in the prison setting].”

Preparation and Provision

Crown’s ministry partnership with Hope to the Hopeless will offer a twoyear Associate of Science degree in

McCracken said they’ve seen God’s provision consistently in the programplanning stages. Crown recently hired an academic advisor to serve their church-based site and the new students in the prison program. In one of their interviews, McCracken broached the subject of working with the prison population. The candidate paused, and McCracken thought the woman might be unsure about this part of the job. Instead, the woman said, “I drive past that prison every day, and God has been preparing my heart to do ministry at the prison. I haven’t been able to figure out how he wants me to accomplish that.”

“She was almost in tears,” McCracken said, “at seeing the intersection of a desire God had put on her heart and our need.”

Puzzle Pieces and Patience

The puzzle pieces were nearly in place to launch the program this spring. However, staffing at the prison has not fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic, so new program initiatives are temporarily on hold. “They’ve said things are starting to normalize,” McCracken said, “but they're just not there yet.”

Beyond serving the prisoners, McCracken is excited about how the program could influence others. “We believe the positive impact will extend to the professors and also open doors to partner with churches in the Omaha area,” she said. Church partnerships are especially vital because they can be a powerful source of support when the students are released and looking to establish their lives beyond prison.

Another element of the Hope to the Hopeless prison education program that McCracken and Scott collaborate n is funding. Scott made a personal gift to help start the program, and other individuals and several churches in the Omaha area have also supported the effort. McCracken noted that there are opportunities for others to be involved as well. She said, “For the sustainability of the program we will need other churches and individuals to get engaged and give.”

From having a prisoner find faith in prison by opening a Bible to sending an academic advisor whom God has prepared for prison ministry, McCracken knows the Hope to the Hopeless endeavor has God’s fingerprints all over it. She sees it as a tremendous opportunity for the extended Crown family to be involved in, as well.

Reaching People and Changing Lives

According to McCracken, there are three important opportunities for prayer and involvement. “First, I encourage people to pray for the initiative,” McCracken said, “and that God would continue to open up the doors for us to go into the Nebraska State Penitentiary and offer an associate’s degree program there.

“Second, that God would continue to bring along donors to help make this project a reality. And the third is to pray we find a solid cohort of students —the right students—for the first cohort.”

Crown’s Hope to the Hopeless program has the potential to transform the lives of men while still in prison and change the trajectory of their lives when they are released.

Steven Scott will never forget his prison transformation. “I changed my life around because I became a Christian and was reborn,” Scott said. “As we bring in opportunities, we’re going to reach people who will change their lives as I did.”

Learn how you can become involved with Hope to the Hopeless at https://www.crown.edu/alumni/h2h/