Charles Colson

Known within the Nixon administration as the "evil genius," special counsel Charles W. Colson served seven months in prison in 1974 after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice in the Watergate-related Daniel Ellsberg case. Colson's more notorious ideas, according to some reports, included spreading false information about Ellsberg and firebombing the Brookings Institution. He was also indicted for his role in the Watergate cover-up.

Colson became a born-again Christian and in 1976 founded the Prison Fellowship Ministries. The volunteer-based organization is designed to bring Bible study and a Christian message to prison inmates and their families. Justice Fellowship, a subsidiary of the group, was founded in 1983 to develop Bible-based criminal justice and prison reform. In 1993, Colson won the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, worth more than $1 million, for his work with the ministry. In 2000, Florida Governor Jeb Bush restored Colson's civil rights 25 years after his release from prison. Colson is a syndicated radio host and commentator and has written many books, the royalties from which he donates to Prison Fellowship. He lives in McLean, Va., and Naples, Fla.

• Religion in Brief (October 14, 2000)
• Colson Awarded Templeton Prize (February 20, 1993)