Heartland News

Angels from Hell, a new book by Dr. Byron Elsey, draws on his many years of experience as a prison chaplain in juvenile and adult correctional institutions to examine the social problems behind crime.

Read more after the link.

Chaplain Elsey wrote the book to help prevent crime at the source andrehabilitate released criminals.  His book explores the social problemsbehind crime, such as family histories, the consequences of early entryinto the penal system and the complications of re-entering societyafter incarceration.  By dealing with the issues behind criminalbehaviour, Elsey hopes to stop the cycle of crime and give families andthe community the knowledge and tools to create a safer environment foreveryone. Though he wrote the book based on his experiences inWinnipeg, which has one of the highest crime rates in Canada, hebelieves the concepts and practices explained in his book are universal.

Sooner or later, most families will have a member who becomesinvolved with the justice system either as a criminal or a victim. Manyvictims are scarred for life,” Elsey says.  “When a criminal changeshis/her ways we all benefit. When a criminal’s family works
toward a healthy future, everyone benefits. The criminal’s children are much less likely
to become criminals themselves, as happens in many cases now.”

Dr. Elsey is a retired prison chaplain credentialed with the CanadianBaptists of Western Canada. He wrote the book to dispel mythssurrounding criminals and their families while providing communitieswith crime prevention knowledge and tools.  His book, Angels from Hell:A Community Approach to Preventing Crime and Healing Criminals waspublished in September, 2009.  It is available from local book storesor www.amazon.ca.  For more information, go to Dr. Elsey’s website:www.criminalsfamilies.com