Author Gives Prisoners Chance To Start Anew

Deanna Allen was never incarcerated, but she does know what it's like to be imprisoned.

And now the former Vacaville resident with the troubled past and enlightening present is reaching out to girls and women behind bars in hopes of showing them that freedom can be theirs if they choose it, like she did.

"I want to see them free and not coming back ... keep their kids out of the system," she said. "I want to break the generational pattern."

Allen, 37, is the national director of the Daughters of Destiny, an 18-month-old prison ministry under the auspices of Colorado Springs-based Impact for Life Ministries that serves women and young women incarcerated in jails, juvenile halls and prisons across the country. The nonprofit offers a five-step program that begins behind bars and continues after a "daughter" has been released from confinement. It offers hope and a lifeline, two things Allen didn't believe she had nearly 20 years ago.

Back then, Allen and her younger brother were weathering the impact of their parents' divorce, among other issues. Both siblings apparently lost their way, and their lives suffered for it.

brother in the literal one." He had served time in San Quentin, where he later died.

In her younger years, Allen said, she was an 85-pound methamphetamine-addicted mother of three dealing with physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse. She later lost a child to death, and attempted suicide.

"I consider myself a murderer. I never killed anyone, but I had a couple of abortions," she said. "I consider myself a thief - I've stolen and robbed for my addiction. I can relate to prostitution - I never put myself out on a corner ... but I went straight to the drug dealer and slept with him. I traded my femininity for things that I wanted."

Meanwhile she railed at God for not allowing her to die and questioned the purpose of her life.

Much later, Allen's life began to turn around. She was healing, and decided to reach out to to women with similar experiences in hopes of setting them on the path to health. A published author, she subsequently penned "Pathway to Serenity," a sampling of her life that incarcerated women could possibly relate to and learn from. But on that fateful day two years ago when her manuscript was ready to go she received another blow, one that she still is recovering from.

"That was the day I heard from San Quentin that my brother had died, that they had found him hanging," she remembered, her voice soft as tears streamed down her face. "What was a passion with helping people with their brokenness became an obsession."

Through an online blog, Allen learned of the Library of Hope, which is affiliated with Impact for Life Ministries. Following several contacts with Impact's founder, she was later appointed as national director of Daughters of Destiny.

Allen travels monthly to jail and prison facilities throughout the United States to host evangelistic crusades as well as implement other parts of the organization's programs. She truly connects with incarcerated women, she said, because she's experienced what many of them have, and they realize that.

"They're really engaged. I can see with my eyes the transformation," she said "She (the inmate) wants the freedom and the peace and the joy. The broken little girl in her just wants to be loved. ... They want to know that all their pain, it wasn't for nothing."

This mission, Allen said, is why God wanted her to live.

"And every time I walk into a prison and I see the women, I say 'Every single one of you are part of my why,' ' she emphasized. "Knowing the point of it all is very fulfilling and very energizing."

Daughters of Ministry is coming to Solano. Allen has already been in touch with the chaplain at the sentenced Detention Facility in Fairfield, is partnering with a local outreach group that ministers to men and is talking with church and other community groups. Her hope is to extend ministry to inmates at Solano County's Jail and Juvenile Hall.

Vacaville residents can learn about Daughters of Destiny today through a family fun day from 2-5 p.m. at Cloud 9 Jumps, 2059 East Monte Vista Avenue. Cost is $2 per child with a maximum of $10 per family. Youths must wear socks to jump. Proceeds go to Daughters of Destiny. Copies of Allen's book will be available for sale.

Through the event, Allen said, residents can learn not only about her group, but also the changing face of incarceration, the impact it has on families as well as individuals and how communities can help.

"It's changing lives," she said, of Daughters of Ministry. "This is a ripe, ripe harvest field. If you think you can make a difference in someone's life, this is a great place to do it."

For info, call 719-632-8747, e-mail deanna@daughtersofdestinypm.org or visit

The Reporter