50 Nevada inmates got to celebrate Christmas with their families in a Las Vegas church

LAS VEGAS – In the eyes of baby Malakhi, Shandy Slight saw a second chance.

“He reminds me so much of my son when he was that age,” the 40-year-old said of her 1-year-old grandson.

This is the first time Slight, an inmate living at Casa Grande Transitional Housing, has met Malakhi.

“The good thing is he won’t remember the years I was gone,” Slight said. "With my son, it’s different. He transitioned to being a man without me.”

Sitting next to a Christmas tree at The Crossing Church in Las Vegas on Thursday night, Slight was one of 50 inmates reconnected with their families for the holidays through a program called 50 Christmases. 

A collaboration between Hope for Prisoners and the Nevada Department of Corrections, 50 Christmases aims to bring families together and give prisoners a glimpse of what they left behind for a life of incarceration. 

This year's event marked the first time 21-year-old Tre Shaun saw his mother in three years.

“I can’t really describe it,” he said. “It’s cool.”

'What am I doing here?'

When inmates see their families grown older after years of incarceration, they’re often reminded that there are people in world that need them, according to Jim Dzurenda, former director of the Nevada Department of Corrections.

“I hate to say it this way, but it’s guilt,” he said. “They realize, ‘I have people relying on me. I have people who need me. What am I doing here?”

In the church auditorium — smelling of hot cocoa and cooked turkey — were 50 lighted Christmas trees decorated with ornaments and topped with a red ribbon and silver star.

The trees served as the centerpiece of 50 Christmas scenes built for each family: Couches and chairs and a coffee table topped with a tray of peanuts, M&Ms, pretzels and crackers.

Under the trees sat bicycles and wrapped gifts, some shaped like skateboards.

Each gift carried a name tag: Jessica and Nolan and Kelsie.

That’s the family of 42-year-old Michael Korn. He’s been an inmate since drug charges landed him in High Desert State Prison. Now he’s transitioning to life after prison at Casa Grande.

He works at Rocky’s Philly Cheesesteaks in a food court on South Las Vegas Boulevard.

If all goes as planned, Korn will be up parole in November of next year.

He came to the event excited to see his toddler granddaughter, Kelsie. He saw her when she was born, but that was two years ago.

“I’m excited to provide something for them,” Korn said.

A glimpse at a new kind of life 

Volunteers served the families hot holiday meals of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce and a warm dinner roll.

After dinner, families tore into gifts: LEGO sets, board games like Sorry! and Trouble, dolls, UNO cards, ceramic hair straighteners and more.

Korn brought $25 gift cards for his girlfriend’s 15-year-old kids, Jessica and Nolan.

“You can use that to buy anything you want,” he told Nolan, handing him the card.

Watching the kids open their gifts — a ukulele and a new backpack among them — Korn got a glimpse of what he could have after prison, he said: “I want to be a part of their lives. I want to build a good life.”

'You're not a kid no more'

It's a common plan between the Christmas trees: Be there for the kids, build a better life on the outside.

That's what Anthony Rios plans to do.

The 45-year-old drug dealer turned handyman has been at the Casa Grande transitional house a short time, and he's now looking for a job to work toward parole.

Seeing his own granddaughter five years since the last time put things into perspective for him.

"She just grew up on me," Rios said of 7-year-old Jaeleen. "It's hard to not be in their lives. It was a waste of time. When you get to a certain age, you start to think different. You're not a kid no more." 

Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network. Do you care about democracy? Then support local journalism by subscribing to the Reno Gazette Journal right here.