Inmates in Michigan jail unite in prayer on Christmas Eve
A video shared by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office shows detainees voluntarily forming a large prayer circle inside the correctional facility.
Published: 20:53 GMT, 27 December 2025 | Updated: 21:01 GMT, 27 December 2025
Inmates at a Michigan jail came together in prayer on Christmas Eve.
A video shared by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office shows detainees voluntarily forming a large prayer circle inside the correctional facility.
'I've NEVER posted a jail surveillance video like this one,' the Sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post.
'Last night on Christmas Eve, inmates on one of the biggest pods came together on their own. No direction. No prompting. They joined hands and quietly recited the Lord's Prayer.
'In a place that's often defined by mistakes and consequences, I saw unity and hope. I saw people choosing something better for themselves and for each other. When this happens, communities are safer and generational incarceration is broken.
'This is what real culture change looks like and it doesn't happen overnight.
'Please join me in thanking the entire jail staff for being a part of the culture change. It matters! Merry Christmas!'
The video, which had amassed nearly half a million views and hundreds of comments, drew an outpouring of praise online, with many viewers describing the moment as deeply moving.
One commenter said the prayer itself was less important than the sense of kinship and belonging on display.
Inmates at the Genesee County Jail formed a large prayer circle on Christmas Eve in footage shared by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office
The moment drew praise online, with viewers calling the scene a powerful display of unity, faith and shared humanity behind bars.
Others pointed to the role of faith-based outreach behind bars, with one woman noting that her church partners with a prison where inmates submit prayer requests that are shared with a pastor during Sunday services.
'Peeping humans human is exactly what Jesus called us to do,' the user wrote.
This is not the first time the Genesee County Sheriff's Office has gone viral for acts of kindness.
In 2020, the department drew national attention after Sheriff Chris Swanson removed his riot gear and joined protesters marching in Flint Township during demonstrations sparked by the killing of George Floyd.
As hundreds of demonstrators moved down Miller Road, deputies initially prepared for a possible confrontation.
Instead, Swanson laid down his helmet and baton after a brief exchange with protesters that began with a simple fist bump.
The sheriff’s office previously went viral in 2020 when Chris Swanson removed his riot gear and marched with protesters in Flint Township
'We want to be with y'all for real,' Swanson said in widely shared footage. 'I want to make this a parade, not a protest.'
After a protester asked police to walk alongside the crowd, Swanson and several deputies marched more than a mile with demonstrators back to where the march began, a decision he later said went against much of his training but helped ease tensions on both sides.
Swanson later described the moment as the most meaningful of his career, saying it showed that communication and trust between law enforcement and the community were still possible during a period of intense national unrest.