March 2022: Charles Onley

Charles Onley has played a significant role in expanding GSA’s clinic partnerships and reach to serve marginalized and vulnerable individuals throughout Montgomery County. A life-long resident of Montgomery and Frederick Counties in Maryland, Charles’s experiences growing up as a young Black person before the Civil Rights Act mandated racial integration, coupled with his long career in the correctional system, have shaped his life as a man committed to seeking justice for the poor and marginalized.

Below are highlights from Charles’s conversation with GSA Executive Director Liz Ranade Janis.

On growing up in Frederick, MD

I was born in 1949 in Dickerson, MD, which at the time was divided between Frederick and Montgomery Counties. This important to know because I grew up as a Black person in segregation until 1960, and as a second-class citizen of this country until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed …the only white man I knew as a child was my grandfather. Although Maryland didn’t secede from the union, the southern part of Maryland was very aligned with the confederacy. This shaped my youth as a Black American growing up in the Poolesville, MD area.

On his career working in corrections in Montgomery County

I went to school at University of Maryland majoring in Sociology of Deviant Behavior with a Psychology minor. I wanted to be a counselor in the jails. Initially, I worked for what is now called NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology) through a new program funded by President Nixon overseeing 200 kids from poor and minority communities working on the campus.

After this, I served 26 years working in the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation. My job was to serve people and keep them alive…I’ve done every job but be a warden. I’ve interviewed people in and outside jail, met with state and federal prisoners reentering Montgomery County, worked with courts and judges on sentencing guidelines and recommendations and parole hearings.

Later, I worked for a federal grant for ten years as the only full-time employee for the Center for Sex Offender Management funded by (DOJ’s) Office of Violence Against Women. I taught and trained people on how to supervise sex offenders in the community, and I did a study (looking at) how every state manages sex offenders.

On the challenges of serving the prison population

The recidivism rate of offenders is extremely high…I’ve observed that many prisoners are mentally ill and(or) addicted; even the people who embraced Christ while they were there, it’s very hard for them to change.

I did what I could to offer them opportunities to change no matter what…the whole thing is, though, you are often rehabilitating someone who has never been “habilitated” in the first place—they had never been successful or had the chance to be successful at life in the first place…I began serving people from the standpoint that people had a rightful need to know their choices, to take advantage of benefits of programs and job training, etc. And I like people and I like interfacing with people.

On how his faith and church community led him to GSA

At age thirty-one, I became a Christian. Eventually, God led me to Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg. My first care group leader was (GSA founder) Chip Grange, and we have been brothers in Christ together since 1986. Our church taught everybody to serve. I led a CLC care group for seven years, and my wife Gladys and I led a toddler class on Sundays for 14 years. I have served in various roles at CLC since.

On helping to open the GSA Clinic at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility

I think the church needs to be involved in sharing the Gospel, like GSA is, by serving these offenders and helping with their outside legal needs or even in counseling. About 10 years ago, Doug (Duberstein, GSA’s CLC Clinic Co-Director) and Chip approached me about offering legal services to inmates with the Montgomery County Correctional Program. They said “hey look, we’re going to offer the Montgomery County Correctional Facility a program. What do you think might be the legal needs of offenders there?”

As the Lord would have it, they were going to meet with the Chief of Inmate Services where I served for 17 years. My former work partner was serving as the assistant warden, so with my referral, GSA was approved to present our program in the facility.

On being GSA’s unofficial “advance man”

A few years ago, Chip invited me to volunteer at GSA. I didn’t exactly know how to fit in. But I’m from upper Montgomery County which is a lot more rural than Gaithersburg. And then I said I think the Lord has a role for me to go out to churches (in high needs areas) and tell people about the ministry.

…Now I’ll be honest with you, I’m not a salesperson. The only thing I can I sell people is what I believe in.

It took me time to embrace fully what GSA was doing. Then Chip sent me to a GSA immigration training panel, and I saw Dawn Trainor-Fogleman (GSA @ TSA Clinic Director) and others speaking mostly on immigration issues. I couldn’t believe that I was a part of something so helpful and so informative. People were crying and emotional. One of the presenters had immigrated to the US; she had really gone through some things and was an expert. I was impressed to be a part of something that was really special.

On introducing GSA to The Salvation Army

So I started visiting all the churches in the area (to see if people were interested in GSA’s legal aid services) and I remembered that The Salvation Army has a church. We got a meeting with Captain Jo (of TSA Montgomery County) – this was in the middle of COVID and masking.

Captain Jo immediately offered Wednesday night to host a clinic…he (even) said he would like to have GSA clinic services offered more often. The Salvation Army offered everything GSA needed and more for a clinic, and here we are today. I think the TSA partnership could be replicated anywhere.

On being a part of God’s work to serve our neighbors in need of justice

(In the case of The Salvation Army) I took a meeting; I didn’t know what God was doing. I like to follow and look at what God does – I’ve been a part of things but it’s not me doing it – it’s Him. GSA offers a place to be like our Servant King.

The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.