Several years ago a woman came to speak to my (really cool) Sunday school class. She was older, smartly dressed, intellectually curious, had a good resume and lived close by.
She was a lot like me.
Except she was an x-con. She came to tell us what prison was like.
First off, she was imprisoned for trespassing on military property. She, along with many others, had protested on this facility for years. This time she was arrested and had the book thrown at her.
Along with her 70 year old friend. They were cellmates for an extended period of time.
These women had money and visitors. So their circumstances were vastly different than the majority of women with whom they were incarcerated.
Most of the prisoners were young, uneducated and poor. Most of them had been arrested on drug charges. Most of them were mothers.
Some new prison stats - that may surprise you - came out in this morning's paper.
I agree with this quote from Sen. Bernie Sanders:
Perhaps if we adequately invested in our children and in education kids who now grow up to be criminals could become productive workers and taxpayers.
In other words, this isn't brain surgery. There are some answers. But we don't seem to want them. We want to throw people in prison.
***
She was a lot like me.
Except she was an x-con. She came to tell us what prison was like.
First off, she was imprisoned for trespassing on military property. She, along with many others, had protested on this facility for years. This time she was arrested and had the book thrown at her.
Along with her 70 year old friend. They were cellmates for an extended period of time.
These women had money and visitors. So their circumstances were vastly different than the majority of women with whom they were incarcerated.
Most of the prisoners were young, uneducated and poor. Most of them had been arrested on drug charges. Most of them were mothers.
Some new prison stats - that may surprise you - came out in this morning's paper.
- The U.S. has more people in prison than any other nation. (Far ahead of China.)
- One in every 100 adults is behind bars.
- One in NINE black men between the ages of 20 and 34 is in prison.
- The cost of keeping people behind bars is soaring.
I agree with this quote from Sen. Bernie Sanders:
Perhaps if we adequately invested in our children and in education kids who now grow up to be criminals could become productive workers and taxpayers.
In other words, this isn't brain surgery. There are some answers. But we don't seem to want them. We want to throw people in prison.
***
