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Father William DiersenFounder, Dismas Charities[1925 – 2002] |
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It was 1964 and Father William Diersen had seen enough.
A Roman Catholic priest and Chaplain at the Kentucky State Reformatory, Father Diersen was frustrated by the seemingly "revolving door" of people returned to prison for violating conditions of their release. He understood - like few others at the time - that without the necessary survival skills and support structure, individuals tend to return to a life of crime, more victimization would occur and the cycle of returning to prison would begin again.
Father Diersen also knew that to effect change would be no easy feat. The criminal justice system itself was rife with abuse and offenders were feared and stigmatized by the public. But Father Diersen's character, focus and unbending will persisted. |
With the help of the five Louisville councils of the Knights of Columbus, Father Diersen opened a 15-bed community corrections facility, or ‘halfway house' as it was then known, staffed with volunteers. He called the facility Dismas, so named for the repentant thief who was crucified with Christ.
From this modest beginning, Dismas Charities has grown to become one of the nation's largest not-for-profit providers of human service programs specializing in community corrections. Today, the healing hand of Dismas extends to numerous areas of the country, and the scope of our work has evolved well beyond the original confines of that first Dismas halfway house. We are actively involved in alcohol and drug treatment, job training, domestic violence intervention, mentoring to at-risk adolescents, juvenile delinquency, and a vast array of other programs and services. Dismas believes and practices its motto of Healing the Human Spirit. |