Johnny “Irish” Harvey spent over half his life in prisons throughout the country. Once a high-ranking member of the largest, most violent gang in the United States Prison System, Johnny was deemed one of the “worst of the worst” by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. He was classified as a threat to the safety and security of staff and inmates and placed in solitary confinement where he remained from 1995-1997.

Everything changed in 1996 when Johnny surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord placed the people and resources in his path to deliver, heal, provide for and restore Johnny’s life to what God originally intended for him to be. It started with a priest, Father Dave, that came back to the solitary confinement blocks every Tuesday afternoon to offer help to the men. Johnny met with Father Dave for the remaining time in solitary and received the guidance and encouragement he needed before being released back into general population.

Once back in population Johnny continued his “new walk” with the Lord by attending Mass, and all the classes and programs available to him to help him receive deliverance, healing and development. The Lord helped Johnny get clean and sober in September of 1997 and Johnny continues to be actively involved in Recovery. Johnny stepped down from the gang in 1998. God also used the classes and  programs the institutions offered to help Johnny correct his criminal and addictive thinking and behavior.
 

He learned and developed excellent communication and leadership skills and began applying all that he was learning to his life. He also began “unofficially” teaching all that he was learning to other residents who wanted to learn, but were unable to get in the programs yet.

Administrative and Security Staff began taking notice of the transformation that was evident in Johnny’s life and the positive impact he was having on the other inmates. They gave him a job as a Program Aid and began allowing him to teach classes, facilitate prayer groups, and organize and operate programs under the supervision of staff.

In April of 2018 Johnny was released after serving 32 years, 4 months and 27 days of continuous incarceration. Since then, Johnny has continued to transition all that he learned in prison into being a clean, sober, law abiding, pro-social member of society. He has been and continues to be a blessing to his family, community, the people he meets, and ultimately to God. He has taken all that he has learned and  experienced and founded Made To Be Free Ministries, a non-profit organization designed to help men, women, and children become free from the things that are keeping them from reaching their full potential and becoming who they were created to be – the absolute best versions of themselves.

Johnny shares in high schools, colleges, churches, treatment centers, and prisons throughout the country.