By 2015 the performance schedule had become exhausting, and
Hamble and his partners considered closing the book on 513FREE.
Eventually, however, they decided to change its tune, and
513FREE was reborn. The group evolved from a music ministry
into a nonprofit group offering youth mentorship, prison outreach,
and support for ex-offenders. (Music hasn’t gone away entirely,
however: Last year the group produced a hip-hop infused EP, Real
Thing, and they have plans to record a live album in prison in the
near future.)
For more than a year, a group of inmates at the Jackson Correction-
al Institution, a state prison in Black River Falls, have worked with
members of 513FREE on The Pen Project, a magazine by and for
the incarcerated.
Around the same time, men who had heard the group’s music in
prison began to write asking for lyrics and chord sheets. Seeking a
way to disseminate these easily, Hamble and his partners struck
upon the idea of creating a magazine. This idea grew into the Pen
Project, which allows inmates to share their creativity with each
other and the world at large.
“It healing for them to feel they’re not forgotten,” explained Mi-
“It’s
chael Sandvig, who directs the Pen Project. He’s heard inmates say
that taking part in the project helps them get some of their dignity
back.
And regaining that sense of purpose can help inmates once they’re
released. Hamble says 513FREE hopes to make a dent in the share
of ex-offenders who end up behind bars again. Nationally, he says,
the recidivism rate is about 70 percent.
Michael, Jesse & Jonny of 513FREE // Art by Anthony Scholfield
513FREE is supported by donations and by several local congrega-
tions, including Valleybrook Church, which provides them with
office space. The group has 10 staff members, five of them
full-time. They don’t charge for the magazine because they want in-
mates to be able to receive it for free; however, they encourage
people on the outside to subscribe to help raise money.
“We’re all creative, and we love art and the culture behind it,”
Hamble said of making the magazine in partnership with inmates.
“We’ve seen how it’s positively impacted these guys and allowed
them to express themselves in a unique way.”
As you might have guessed, 513FREE takes its name from a Bible
passage, Galatians 5:13, which says, “My brothers and sisters, God
chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do
what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with
love.” It is this loving service that 513FREE tries to embody, de-
spite society’s tendency to marginalize and dehumanize those in
prison.
“There are a lot of guys in there who made bad decisions,” Hamble
said. “The heart of it is, we say whether you believe in what we be-
lieve or not, if we do our job right, it helps everyone.”
A group of 14 inmates at Jackson Correctional Institution, a medi-
um-security facility in Black River Falls, have served as something
of a pilot group for the project. One of them, Anthony Scholfield,
has contributed writing and artwork to the magazine. In a recent
issue, he wrote that 513FREE was “working to blow the roof off
the misconceptions and fears the public has about prisoners and
unite Christ’s body by working with inmates.”
“This publication provides an opportunity for inmates to have a
voice, work with the public, and participate in the body of Christ as
a whole,” he wrote.
Written by Tom Giffey // Photos by Shane Newman
Volume One // Issue #329 - March 22, 2017
Volume One magazine is the fast-growing culture and enter-
tainment publication of the Chippewa Valley. They print
14,000 copies every two weeks and distribute them FREE at
more than 300 locations in Eau Claire, Menomonie, Chippe-
wa Falls, and beyond. Online at: www.VolumeOne.org
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