He will be a minister without a pulpit, free to counsel other inmates individually but without a church or a congregation. A man prosecutors described as a cunning racketeer who hid records in a safe now will have all his mail opened and monitored by guards. The well-read man who once led a nation of black Baptists as president of the National Baptist Convention USA is likely to work at a menial job, perhaps in a prison laundry or cleaning prison grounds. And like all prisoners, he will work without pay. So when they work, they work for free.
Few prisons have it.
Much is still uncertain about Lyons' future. Buchanan said he must be processed before he is sent to the prison where he will serve his sentence. He has no guarantee of winding up close to home, though the state tries to keep inmates near family. Also uncertain is the mandatory job to which he will be assigned. The fact that Lyons is a minister may help him behind bars.