As a little girl, I dreamed of being a singer, an FBI agent, or maybe a forensic investigator like you see on true-crime TV. What was not on my list was working in the prison system. In fact, I decided early in my life that working there was not something I was going to do.
Prisons surrounded our home in Raiford, Florida, and my parents and other family members worked at one of the nearby prisons. It wasn’t uncommon to see Department of Corrections (DOC) vans racing by our house, responding to escapes and other incidents. It was the only time we ever locked our doors in our tiny little town. But I had zero interest in anything that happened inside that razor wire.
My parents were young when they had me. They married and grew up faster than if they had waited to start a family. Soon after my youngest sister came along, they split up. My sisters and I lived with our mom and visited our dad on weekends and during school breaks.
Divorce brought many challenges, including a sense of uncertainty for my siblings and me. But we managed to adjust, even after both parents remarried. The upside was that we gained new brothers and sisters, whom I grew to love dearly.
My mom worked long hours, pulling double shifts to make ends meet. Dad was strict and protective of his daughters. He spoke his mind and tolerated no boys, nonsense, or disrespect in his home. I lived with him for a while in high school, and I remember complaining that I was the only senior who had to be in bed by 9:30 p.m.
The family as a whole made it a priority to keep us girls in church. We spent a lot of time there and at youth events. I learned to regard the Lord with reverence and fear (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10).
If not for the foundation of faith established early in my life, I could have easily become a negative statistic. But Jesus not only saved me for eternity, He also protected me from myself and the pitfalls of the world.
I developed a solid work ethic while in high school. My after-school job at Hardee’s helped me earn money for the things I needed. I worked hard for everything I had, including good grades. In May 1987, I graduated with a scholarship that opened the door for me to go to college.
Working full-time in fast food and attending a full schedule of classes was exhausting, but I was determined to finish what I’d started and graduate with at least an associate degree. While I hadn’t yet figured out what I wanted to do, I was sure my career wouldn’t involve corrections.
But God’s agenda for my life looked quite different from my plan (Isaiah 55:8–9), and He wasted no time putting the right people and opportunities in my path.
One day, a lady from church told me about a job opening. “We have a temporary position at the Reception and Medical Center (RMC). You would be a perfect fit!”
RMC was a nearby prison that housed newly sentenced inmates and those needing specialized medical care. Why me? I wondered. I was only 17, and the position would have me working in administration doing inmate banking. Surely I was unqualified.
But the salary increase was appealing to a starving student barely scraping by. It’s just a stepping-stone, I convinced myself. You won’t be there forever. Besides, you’ve got to pay your bills and eat somehow.
In August 1987, only three months after graduating high school, I accepted the temp job at RMC, gave Hardee’s my two-week notice, and changed my classes to nights to work full-time during the day. Not long after, God blessed me with a full-time position with benefits in the business office. He used what I thought was only a stepping-stone to build the foundation of my 30-year career with FLDOC.
The Lord surrounded me early in my career with women of faith. These spiritual mothers and sisters prayed with and for me and encouraged me in everything from finishing my homework assignments to applying for promotions. They celebrated with me when I married and became a mom. If I had a problem or a tough decision, they pointed me back to Jesus. They reminded me that He was the author of my story and the One from whom I should seek answers. I can’t tell you how important these women were in my life.
I worked in the business office until I earned my bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Then I pursued a master’s in educational leadership. With my degrees in hand, I felt better qualified to tackle whatever came my way.
I quickly learned that a willing heart was the only real qualification I needed to answer God’s call on my life. He would equip me for the journey. Desiring to go where God could use me, I surrendered to His lead.
“Lord,” I prayed, “I will go where You send me to encourage whoever You put in my path.”
I meant those words, but I didn’t anticipate He’d lead me straight into that career with the Florida DOC that my younger self had been determined to avoid. I wrestled with the notion, but the Lord continually reminded me that He equips the ones He calls for any task. He just wanted me to trust Him for provision and protection.
So I agreed to follow His will and pledged to keep Him at the forefront of my decisions as He directed my steps. What followed was amazing. Over the course of 30 years, I moved from that initial clerical position all the way up to warden and regional director.
The Lord opened my eyes to life within the razor wire. He allowed me to look past the differences that separated the staff from the incarcerated, so that I could see both groups through His eyes.
They were all His children, and each side had genuine needs and concerns that I had to consider when making decisions. Living and working in a prison environment can be depressing and downright dangerous; I needed the Lord to show me how I could improve things.
It took discipline and focus to avoid being overwhelmed by the challenges. To lead effectively, I needed to balance the scales of mercy and justice. I had to find ways to show compassion and hold people accountable for their actions.
Being a woman in leadership in a predominantly male field wasn’t easy. Some didn’t like or understand my leadership style or the culture I envisioned for the prisons I oversaw. Still, God gave me the strength and determination to stay the course and make decisions that would honor Him and help other people. My faith wasn’t always warmly welcomed, but it was not an area of compromise. I couldn’t run through every compound evangelizing, but I sure wasn’t quiet about Jesus being the Lord of my life.
My department colleagues provided me with fantastic mentoring and training that helped sharpen my skills. I was eager to learn and grow, so I soaked it all in from good and even not-so-good human leaders. My best leadership advice always came straight from the Bible, though.
I found examples of strong female leaders like Esther and Deborah in the Bible. These ladies lived in a culture that placed little value on women, but that didn’t stop God from using them in positions of great authority. I admired both women because they didn’t get caught up in selfish ambition or become power hungry. Instead, they focused on God and the welfare of the people they were leading.
I related to Esther’s story because of her humble beginnings. (Read the Book of Esther and see how God used this orphaned girl to impact the lives of many.) Her story gave me the courage to walk through any door God was opening, even when I didn’t know where He was leading or when it looked like I was heading somewhere I didn’t want to be.
Deborah was a warrior whom God called to lead the people of Israel in Judges 4–5. From her life, I learned that having the authority to make decisions was important, but I also had to be able to work through other people to get things done.
Deborah empowered and encouraged others, giving them the confidence they needed to fulfill the mission. I especially loved how she valued volunteers (Judges 5:9). She taught me to trust God in everything I did, to give Him the praise and glory for every victory, and to look at the big picture when making my decisions.
Whether I was working in classification, re-entry, as a warden, or as a regional director, I remembered how these women led their people. I viewed every job assignment as a mission—souls were at stake. God impressed upon my heart to consider the lives affected by the decisions I made.
Every person is a human being with a name and a story. Learning the key details of their story helped me understand why a person might behave or respond in a particular way. That’s when real problem-solving could happen.
I retired from FLDOC in 2018 as a warden at the Florida Women’s Reception Center (FWRC), but every decision, position, and relationship I encountered during my years with the department shaped and molded me for God’s continued call on this new chapter of my life.
I’m still on a mission today, but now I serve with amazing volunteer organizations. As a volunteer, I freely share the hope of Jesus with men and women in prisons all over Florida and even other states. I’ve been privileged to baptize hundreds of women who have chosen Jesus as the Lord of their lives. How exciting it is to help them start their prison journey anew with the light and hope of Jesus.
Wherever you are in your life journey, I encourage you to grow your faith roots deep in Christ. God will empower you every step of the way with inner strength through His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). Listen to the promises of Ephesians 3:17: “Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong” (NLT).
No matter who we are or where we live, we need faith roots to keep us strong. And we need God’s love to lead and teach us how to live so we can influence the world for His glory.
All He needs is our trust and a willing heart.
Chris Southerland volunteers at her church and with The Jesus Infusion and Timothy’s Gift, two prison ministries that provide incarcerated persons with hope, healing, and the love of Jesus. Chris serves the “least of these,” from youthful offenders to lifers. Chris enjoys spending time with her three children and two grandchildren.
