Prison is a Place

My father once told me that prison is place we send people to punish them. The problem with prisons, he said, is that we continue to punish them for the rest of their lives. We were driving downtown and saw a prison work crew on the grounds of the courthouse. My father believed it was wrong to dress these men in orange jumpsuits as if to humiliate them even further. There is no sense of rehabilitation, he said sadly, only punishment. 

Over the years, I have come to understand the wisdom of his thinking. Prisons are necessary but we forget that inside those are people. They are brothers, fathers, uncles, grandfathers, and husbands. They are sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers and wives. For every person incarcerated, there are at least four more who are impacted by the loss of the loved one. People. Human beings. My father, nor I, intend to minimize or gloss over the crime. He firmly believed you don't do the crime unless you can do the time. But what should set us above the criminal mind, should be the voice of redemption, forgiveness and rehabilitation. If we believe in justice, then we should also be mindful of its practice. Prisons should be institutions of hope and education, rather than revolving doors where the inmate is more likely to die inside than live outside.

This is an open letter sent to me. The author unknown but I felt it was meant to be shared. As you read, I ask you to see this place through his eyes. Think for a moment that it is your son who wrote this and then, perhaps gain a new perspective on this place.

Prison is a Place

Prison is a place where the first person you see looks like an all-American college boy, and you are surprised. Later you are disgusted because people on the outside have the same prejudices about prisoners that you used to have. 

Prison is a place where you learn that nobody needs you. That the world outside goes on without you.

Prison is a place where you can go for years without feeling the touch of a human hand, where you go for months without hearing a kind word. It is a place whre friendships are shallow, and you know it.

Prison is a place where you feel sorry for yourself. Then you get disgusted for feeling sorry for yourself. Then you get mad for feeling disgusted.

Prison is a place where you lose respect for the law because you see it raw, twisted, bent, ignored and blown out of proportion to suit the people who enforce it.

Prison is a place where you forget the sound of a baby's cry. You forget the sound of a dog's bark, or a cat's meow.

Prison is a place where you see men you don't admire, and wonder if you are like them. It's a place where you strive to remain civilized, but lose ground and know it.

Prison is a place where you go to bed before you are tired. Where you pull the blankets over your head when you are not cold. It is a place where you try to escape...by reading, playing cards, or by simply going mad.

Prison is a place where you promise to become a better person. Some people succeed, some people fail. Some don't even care. 

Prison is a place.