I have encountered very few employees of the MDOC that I could honestly say cared about anything more than their jobs. Not doing their jobs well, just keeping them. Actions speak louder than words and the way some of the COs yell that’s saying something.
Tag: Prison Reform
A Bird In The Hand
They say that dogs are man’s best friend and that they don’t judge us but give unconditional affection. For many in prison that type of attention is exactly what prisoners need.
Education Connection
Education is supposed to be a priority for the MDOC, yet year after year budget cuts to education have reduced the number of teachers in the class room and the resources available.
Disconnected
The reality is that the typical inmate was already disconnected from the greater society and only focused on their subculture.Programming in prison currently tries to educate inmates why committing crime is wrong. What is clearly lacking is teaching inmates about doing the right thing.
Deaf, Blind and Dumb
Inmates must be individually assessed and then treated fairly according to a plan, not just lumped into a faceless mass where it is easy to overlook their humanity.
Prison, Paranoia and PTSD
The experience of prison life leaves a lasting impression that seriously impacts the individual’s ability to function in society, the workplace, or the home.
Addiction
Prison should be a place where people who failed to participate as a successful member of a civil society receive the re-education that clearly states what is expected of them without distractions. The messages need to be compelling and undistracted by competing messages that glorify the lifestyle choices that brought them to prison in the first place.
Aversion Therapy
Many people in prison decide to go straight, not because of any compelling argument to do right or any education received, but simply because they can’t stand the thought of having to live in the abysmal conditions of life in prison or with the others they were forced to live with while in prison. It’s aversion therapy not cognitive behavioral therapy.
Visitation
The best day in an inmate’s incarceration is the day he is released. The second best is when he receives a visit.
Virtual Reality
When I was in the county jail awaiting sentencing, everyone told me that prison time was what I wanted because the conditions were so much better. Once I got to prison I saw what they meant. Jail Sucks! How can this be anything but cruel and unusual punishment? To serve twice as long as anyone sentenced to county jail time under those conditions. Forced to pay more for commissary and phone calls then their prison counterparts. Deprived of contact visits. Forced to endure a near starvation diet and all the other hardships doesn't seem fair and equitable to the treatment received by their prison counterparts.