May 30, 2006 By Anessa Myers For The 3 min read

Sometimes a book is judged by its cover. Sometimes people are judged for their mistakes.

And sometimes, there are people who overlook those mistakes and lend their compassion to those in need of a little cheering up. James Syphers of Hopwood is one of the latter.

Syphers received the 2006 Official Visitor Award from the Pennsylvania Prison Society, which he has been a part of for more than 30 years.

The Pennsylvania Prison Society is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote social justice by helping prisoners and their families in numerous ways. In the late sixties, Syphers was one of five people who founded the western Pennsylvania chapter of the Pennsylvania Prison Society, which before had only eastern Pennsylvania chapters. Today there are 43 chapters throughout Pennsylvania.

“Visiting prisoners is just something I believe in,” said Syphers. “They are just people.”

First visiting his father in prison at the age of 5, Syphers said he has become accustomed to visiting prisons and prisoners his entire life. Syphers said he wants to help prisoners feel less lonely in the world and so he writes them letters, calls them and visits them as frequently as he can to give updates on their families and the outside world.

“I am working for fairness and justice,” said Syphers who commented that the two are not always synonyms. He recalled an instance when an inmate was not given his medication for five months because the prison denied he had a medical condition.

Syphers said he has helped get two prisoners a compassionate release, which occurs with inmates who are freed so they can spend their remaining time with their loved ones.

More than 90 prisoners receive visits from Syphers, and more than half of them are in the restricted housing and long-term segregation units at SCI Fayette in Luzerne Township. These are the prisoners who are more isolated and who need the most help because they are also the ones who receive fewer visitors, said Syphers.

Syphers told about a situation where a fellow inmate called the Pennsylvania Prison Society to refer another inmate. In 19 years, the referred inmate had never been visited.

Since the majority of the prisoners in the Fayette County area are from Philadelphia, it is difficult for their families to visit them. Syphers said prisoners are often moved away from the place and the people that got them into trouble.

Syphers also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity and Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. He also acts as secretary of the California University of Pennsylvania Advisory Board where he used to teach numerous classes in sociology and pushed for accreditation and masters programs in that field. He is conducting a study of the Fayette County Prison System for the Fayette County Community Action agency that is being funded by the county commissioners.

“I felt guilty when there was nothing in my date-book,” said Sypher, a retired social worker.

As the sole official visitor of SCI Fayette and with so many prisoners to visit, Syphers stressed that the group needs more volunteers.

“Twenty-some people came to a meeting we had two years ago, and we got two people out of it,” said Syphers. “After hearing what the program is about, many people do not believe they can do it. For many, the first time a prison cell door locks behind them, they have to adjust.”

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer and assisting the Pennsylvania Prison Society, can call Mickey Bezjak at 724-725-5420 or Syphers at 724-438-4339.