A Father For
The Bible for the Incarcerated
A cell can hold your body, a label can follow your name, and the world can decide it's done with you — but none of that gets the last word. You have a Father in heaven whose love reaches through any wall, who has not forgotten you, and who can set your heart free long before the doors ever open.
If you are incarcerated — or you love someone who is — the Father's Heart Bible™ is for you. Behind the sentence and the label is a person God still calls His own. The Father's Heart Bible™ is a fresh English translation you can read and listen to free — and it reveals God as a Father from beginning to end. Whether you searched "Bible verses for prisoners," "hope in prison," "verses for inmates' families," or "does God still love me" — the answer is the same: no wall can keep out the Father's love. You are not your worst day and you are not your sentence. You are still His, and He has not forgotten you.
By Kevin White — leading the Father’s Heart Bible™ translation · Last updated June 2026
Key takeawayYou are not your worst day or your sentence — you are still the Father's beloved child, and He has not forgotten you, no matter where you are.
The weight the incarcerated and their families carry
Prison is rarely just one person's sentence — it reaches the family at home, the children left behind, and the person trying to come back. If you feel labeled, separated, or forgotten, you are not alone. The numbers say it out loud.
- 1.9M
- people are incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails on any given day (Prison Policy Initiative, 2024)
- 5.7M
- U.S. children have had a parent incarcerated at some point in their lives (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
- ~68%
- of people released from state prison are rearrested within three years (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
- 27%
- unemployment rate among formerly incarcerated people — higher than the total U.S. rate during any historical period (Prison Policy Initiative)
- 1 in 3
- U.S. adults has a criminal record, a label that follows people long after a sentence ends (The Sentencing Project)
- ~37%
- of people in state prisons have a diagnosed mental health condition (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
Behind every number is a real person — maybe you, maybe someone you love. The shame of a label that follows your name long after the sentence is served. The ache of a phone call that ends too soon. The child counting visits. The fear of coming home to a world that moved on without you, and the quiet worry that even the church has forgotten you.
None of it means you are beyond reach. It means you're carrying a weight no one was built to carry alone — separation, lost identity, guilt, and the fear of what's next. There is a Father who sees the real person underneath the case number, and He has something to say about who you still are.
Sources: Prison Policy Initiative — Mass Incarceration: The Whole PieBureau of Justice StatisticsThe Sentencing Project — Research and Resources
A Father for the incarcerated
Here's what a prison cell can never tell you: the answer to where you are is not a permanent label, a parole date, or finally proving you've changed. The answer is a Father — a perfect, holy Father whose love does not stop at any gate, any wall, or any record.
He is not a warden keeping count of your failures. He is a Father who runs toward His children. He doesn't define you by your worst day, and He doesn't measure you by what society decided you are. He calls you His own — not the future you, not the cleaned-up you, but you, right now, exactly where you are.
So before you are an inmate, a number, a record, a name people whisper — you are His. Your heavenly Father wants to be the steady voice that says: I see you, I have not forgotten you, and there is no wall high enough to keep My love away from you.
No wall can keep out the Father's love. You are not your worst day or your sentence — you are still His, and He has not forgotten you.
Photos via Pexels.
Bible verses for the incarcerated: the Father's voice
Nine Bible verses for the incarcerated and their families in the Father's Heart Bible™ — each one a word from your perfect Father about freedom, being remembered, and never being forsaken. Tap any reference to read and listen free.
“Your Father brings justice to the oppressed and gives bread to the hungry; your Father sets the prisoners free.”
The God you're reading about makes a habit of setting prisoners free — it's who your Father is.
Psalm 146:7“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners.”
Freedom for captives isn't an afterthought — it's the heart of what your Father came to do.
Isaiah 61:1“Remember those in prison as if you were there with them, and those who are mistreated as if you felt it in your own body.”
God commands His people to remember the incarcerated — you are not forgotten by your Father or meant to be by His church.
Hebrews 13:3“If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation — the old has gone, the new has come.”
Your record is not your future. In your Father's hands, the old is gone and something new begins.
2 Corinthians 5:17“Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous will gather around me, for You have been good to me.”
Written from a cave by a man on the run — your Father hears the cry from confinement and answers it.
Psalm 142:7“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
There's a freedom that begins in the heart before the doors ever open — and it's real freedom.
John 8:36“Nothing — not your past, not your sentence, not anything in all creation — can separate you from the love of your Father.”
No conviction, no wall, no label can cut you off from how much your Father loves you. Nothing.
Romans 8:38-39“Where can I go from Your Spirit? If I make my bed in the depths, You are there. Even there Your hand will guide me, and Your right hand will hold me fast.”
There is no cell, no depth, no distance where your Father is not already holding you.
Psalm 139:7-10“He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”
When Jesus announced His mission, freeing prisoners was at the very center of it.
Luke 4:18What "our Father" offers you
Prison strips so much away — freedom, identity, dignity, hope. Here's what your Father gives back, for free, because you are still His.
A freedom that starts in the heart
Real freedom can begin long before the doors do: when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed — free on the inside, today.
A clean start, not a permanent label
Your record is not your verdict. In your Father's hands you become a new creation — the old gone, the new begun.
A Father who has not forgotten you
You are not out of sight or out of mind: there is no cell where He is not already there, holding you fast.
A love nothing can separate you from
Not your past, not your sentence, not the worst thing you've done — nothing can separate you from your Father's love.
Why the Father's Heart Bible™ for the incarcerated
You meet God as a Father, not a warden
When you've been judged and labeled, the last thing you need is another voice keeping score. The Father's Heart Bible™ reveals God as a Father wherever Scripture does — from Genesis 1 on — a Father whose love reaches through any wall, not a warden waiting for you to fail again.
It's free to read and to hear
No account, no purchase, no cost. Read it free online with audio on every chapter — many can reach it on facility tablets or once they're home, and families on the outside can read along together, so the Word ties you back to the people you love.
It speaks to the shame and the fear
Carrying guilt, dreading reentry, wondering if you matter? Start with our verses by topic on forgiveness and hope, or learn to talk to Him with our how-to-pray guide — the Word meets you right where you are.
The Father's heart, in their words
No wall can keep out the Father's love. The truth beneath every verse here, that God is before anything else a Father who has not forgotten you, is the one these voices gave their lives to:
“There is heaven in the depth of that word — Father.”
“Answered prayer is the interchange of love between the Father and His child.”
“The hardest, gladdest thing in the world is, to cry Father! from a full heart.”
Photos via Wikimedia Commons — Charles Spurgeon, Andrew Murray, and George MacDonald (all public domain).
His Word will not return void
You may not feel free the first time you read it. That's okay. The Father's love isn't a passing feeling — it's a foundation, and foundations get built quietly, one day at a time. Every verse you take in is your Father planting something in you that no wall and no label can uproot.
"My word… will not return to me empty, but will accomplish that which I purpose." — Isaiah 55:11
Be loved first
Open the Father’s Heart Bible™ free, with audio, on any phone — and soak in the love you were made for.
What your Father says over you
"I have not forgotten you. I know exactly where you are, and there is no wall, no record, and no distance that can keep My love from reaching you. You are not your worst day, and you are not your sentence — you are Mine, and you always have been.
I am not standing back, counting your failures. I am near, closer than the bars, closer than the shame. When the world labels you and even the people you love feel far away, hear Me: I am your Father, I delight in you still, and I am setting your heart free today — long before any door opens. Come to Me. There is a new beginning in My hands with your name on it."
A prayer for the incarcerated and their families
Our Father, we lift up everyone behind these walls — every person carrying a label, a sentence, and a weight no one was made to carry alone. Let them hear Your voice above the shame and the noise: that they are not forgotten, not beyond reach, and not defined by their worst day. Reach through every wall with Your love and set their hearts free, even now.
Father, we pray for the families on the outside — the spouses, the parents, the children counting the days. Comfort them, protect them, and hold the family together across every mile. Give the children a sense of Your nearness when a parent cannot be there, and let no one feel abandoned by You or by Your church.
We pray for all who are returning home. Go before them into reentry — open doors for work, for housing, for restored relationships and renewed purpose. Guard them from despair, from the pull back toward the old life, and from the lie that they are beyond a new beginning. Make them new creations in You, and let dignity, hope, and restoration follow them every step of the way.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Keep reading
Start with the whole Bible free online with audio, learn why the Father's Heart Bible™ exists, or get oriented with our Bible reading guides — including how to pray and verses by topic. Or meet the Father in another season through the rest of the A Father For series.
Which Bible for someone in prison?
If you're choosing a Bible for someone who is incarcerated — or for yourself inside — here's an honest comparison, including the one we publish. Any of these can carry the Father's voice through a wall; they differ in reading style, focus, and how they get inside.
| Edition | Best for | Translation style | Access & cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Father's Heart Bible™ (the one we publish) | Meeting God as a Father who has not forgotten you — identity beyond the label and the sentence | Fresh translation from the original Hebrew, Aramaic & Greek that reveals God as Father throughout | Free online with audio — reachable on many facility tablets and by family outside; paperback from $39.99 |
| NIrV Free on the Inside Bible (Zondervan) | Readers who want the simplest possible English — about a 3rd-grade reading level | NIrV — a simplified edition of the NIV | Low-cost paperback, widely distributed in prison ministry |
| NLT Life Recovery Bible (Tyndale) | Working a 12-step recovery journey alongside Scripture | NLT — thought-for-thought, very readable | Paperback from retailers |
| ESV Outreach Bible (Crossway) | Bulk giveaways by chaplains and ministries | ESV — essentially literal, more formal English | Inexpensive paperback in bulk |
One practical note: most facilities only accept books shipped new, direct from a publisher or retailer — check the chaplain or mailroom rules first. Prison Fellowship's guide to getting Bibles to prisoners covers the details.
Frequently asked questions
What are good Bible verses for the incarcerated?
Psalm 146:7 (the Father sets prisoners free), Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18 (freedom for the captives), Hebrews 13:3 (remember those in prison), 2 Corinthians 5:17 (a new creation), John 8:36 (if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed), Romans 8:38-39 (nothing can separate you from God's love), and Psalm 139:7-10 (there is no place He is not with you) all speak straight to what the incarcerated carry. Read and hear them free in the Father's Heart Bible™ at fathersheartbible.com/read.
What does the Bible say about people in prison?
Scripture says God remembers and frees prisoners. Psalm 146:7 says the Father sets the prisoners free, Hebrews 13:3 commands God's people to remember those in prison as if they were there with them, and in Luke 4:18 Jesus names freeing prisoners as central to His mission. The Father's Heart Bible™ reveals God as a Father who reaches through any wall — read those passages free, with audio, at fathersheartbible.com/read.
Does God still love me even with my record?
Yes — and that's the whole point. You are not your worst day or your sentence. Romans 8:38-39 says nothing can separate you from God's love, and 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that in Christ you become a new creation — the old gone, the new come. In the Father's Heart Bible™ you meet God as a Father who has not forgotten you and calls you His own right now. Read it free at fathersheartbible.com/read.
What does the Bible say about a fresh start after prison?
The Bible is full of new beginnings. 2 Corinthians 5:17 promises that in Christ the old is gone and the new has come, and John 8:36 says that whoever the Son sets free is free indeed — a freedom that can begin in the heart before reentry ever does. The Father's Heart Bible™ shows a Father who restores, not a warden who keeps score. Read and listen free at fathersheartbible.com/read.
Are there Bible verses for the families of the incarcerated?
Yes. Psalm 139:7-10 promises there is no distance where God is not already holding you, Romans 8:38-39 says nothing can separate you or your loved one from His love, and Hebrews 13:3 calls God's people to remember those in prison and their families. Families can read along together, free with audio, at fathersheartbible.com/read — a way to stay connected across the miles.
Is there a free Bible with audio I can use in prison or when I come home?
Yes. The Father's Heart Bible™ is free to read and listen to online — no account, no purchase, no cost. Many can reach it on facility tablets or once they're home at fathersheartbible.com/read, and families on the outside can read or hear any book to stay connected during a sentence and through reentry.
What makes the Father's Heart Bible™ different for the incarcerated?
It's the first English translation to reveal God as Father wherever Scripture reveals Him as Father — so instead of meeting a warden keeping score of your failures, you meet a Father whose love reaches through any wall. For someone carrying a label and a sentence, that reframes everything: you come to the Bible as a loved child who has not been forgotten, not a case number. Read it free at fathersheartbible.com/read.
For families and returning citizens — where to turn
The Father's love and real, practical help belong together. These ministries and resources walk with the incarcerated, their families, and those coming home.
Photos via Pexels.
You are still His, and He has not forgotten you
Watch the story behind the Father's Heart Bible™ — the translation that lets you meet God as the Father whose love reaches through any wall. Then start reading free, and let His voice be louder than the label.
A Father for every calling and season — a word from the Father, whoever you are. Browse the whole series →