Okay, I got sidetracked last night into posting about the CTV bias covering the Hamas/Israel crisis, but I really wanted to continue with the discussion about prisons and whether they are effective or not. I talked about juveniles and how farm camps might be a better solution than prison. Next, let's look at women in prison.
I am much like most Canadians, I have never been involved with any criminal activities, although I did get called up for jury duty once (I was rejected because they were looking for grandma types). I read the newspaper, form an opinion and condemn people from my couch. It's easy because I think I am safe from those criminal elements.
Women in prison, is this the place for them? I'm not sure, but I have met some of them, and maybe prison for a short period of time is helpful. It depends on the people who they can react with and the programs that are available.
I volunteered to go to the woman's prison in Edmonton so they could learn how to train a dog. We never asked them why they were there, but the leader of the group admitted that her boyfriend got her involved in drug dealing, and one girl who didn't look a day over 15 was a prostitute.
I'm sure you have heard of the programs that allow dogs into prisons, this was something like those programs, except the dogs did not stay in the prison. We brought dogs into the prison and showed the ladies how to walk them and train them to understand commands like sit, down and stay. Attendance was 100% and many who had not signed up for the course were jealous of those who got to play/train the dogs.
To the point:
What struck me most was that these women seriously wanted to change their lives, but they would be released back into the very situation that had gotten them into trouble in the first place. A mean boyfriend, a pimp waiting to get that youngster back into his stable, that was what was waiting for these ladies.
The dogs provided them with an escape into the possibilities, like a dog grooming business, or selling pure bred puppies to provide them an income. The dogs didn't care what they had done, they didn't judge, they didn't demand anything, what they did was to provide a chance for these ladies to love without condition or fear. Unfortunately, not enough volunteers came forward to keep the program working, but the prison could have instituted their own program.
The ladies were charmed by the dogs, but they were also intrigued by us, the human volunteers. We were told not to give ANY personal information except our first names, but you could still talk about your family life, and the ladies questioned us about all sorts of things. Most of them did not know what a normal family was, and hearing things like what we cooked for supper fascinated them.
What is missing from the prisons is real people, with real lives willing to share stories and expose themselves to the criminal element. They need to see people who do not judge them. They need to understand what a real family can be like, they need to take responsibility for their actions, but society needs to provide real help to these ladies. Releasing them into the same situation that lead them into prison is not going to change their lives. Taking a dog training course while in prison might lift their spirits, but it's not going to change their after prison life. Only they can do that, no matter how much we want to help them.
11 comments:
Wow, excellent post! I think you reached a fundamental epiphany that many people miss about people in prison:
"these women seriously wanted to change their lives, but they would be released back into the very situation that had gotten them into trouble in the first place."
I whole heartedly agree. I think it works for all prisoners though, males included, particularly when you're dealing with offenders who commit crimes to fuel a drug habit.
You really surprised me with this post!
Err... not ALL prisoners... But ones that are caught in a cycle of offending. Some prisoners are just bad, bad people.
Dogs rule!
Holy Crap!
A "Coalition" of opinions have agreed on your post, Hunter.
Hunter for PM!
Excellent post by the way - and you put another light on something that many of us don't really think about when we think about prisoners.
Thanks.
Good one Hunter. Pearce - thanks for the qualification - I was going to add something similar.
A long time ago, I did a bit of volunteer work with JDs and though some were capable of turning around, some were just plain incorrigible.
Heh, one point of discussion... You rail on "lefties" all the time, but you're being surprisingly "lefty" in this post, Hunter ;)
No Pearce, I am not lefty in this post, your eyes have been opened and you have now acknowledged the fact that Conservatives care about people and want to see them succeed.
Understand that I have compassion for these women, but I did not just moan about it or write a paper about it, I actually went to the prison to try and help them.
That is the main difference between a lefty and a Conservative. We don't go to protests organized by some union, we go to the heart of the matter, and try to help.
I challenge you to get involved with some local organization that helps the disadvantaged. From your picture, I would suggest the Boys and Girls Club, I bet there is one little boy who has no father who would love to go skating with you and get some male time.
Hunter, before you make blanket statements like that regarding "lefties" moaning and not doing anything about it, I'd like you to know that I've worked in prisons as a youth advocate, mediating conflicts and helping youth prepare for release. I also volunteered with the John Howard Society helping ex-inmates find employment and housing post-release.
I continue to volunteer with inmates, but I am currently extremely busy going to school full time writing my undergraduate thesis on harm reduction, as well as worknig full time at a detox facility in Vancouver's downtown east side. Putting my money where my mouth is, so to speak.
Back to the point, you stated in the post: "society needs to provide real help to these ladies"
Sounds fairly "lefty" to me. Maybe "lefty" isn't the curse word you thought it was? Also, maybe "lefties" aren't all as bad as you seem to think they are?
"That is the main difference between a lefty and a Conservative. We don't go to protests organized by some union, we go to the heart of the matter, and try to help."
This is really unfair, and untrue. I work with children and youth at risk, and doing so puts me in contact with people who are or who have been in the justice system. I happen to know the volunteers who support them are not all conservatives - far, far from it.
They are not all "lefties" either.
Actually, Pearce, it doesn't sound lefty. Here is what I see as the difference. The left-wingers want the government to take care of people by taxing and spending - usually when governments spend on a program, the majority of the spending does not go to the program directly.
The right-wing or conservative way is to actually get in their and either do the work or donate to a charity which is far more cost-efficient than any government department. As one of those religious types, I do some outreach and I donate to one specific chartity - the Salvation Army. I don't sponsor overseas missions but I will volunteer my time, donate money or material to a cause which does some work, directly.
For more than 3 decades, I worked with suicidal men - directly and under the supervision of a psychologist. We were all men of faith - Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Christian and what have you with one goal in mind - direct, hands-on work. Not prayer from a distance, not relying on some government program, but actually getting in there and working. I did retire from it because after so long, I was tired and my heart was no longer in it. To continue would have been unfair to our clients and to myself.
I am all in favour of doing actual work to help people in need. I am not in favour of leaving it to the government to solve.
I don't know how old you are, Pearce, but in the old days, we helped one another - friends, neighbours, fellow church members (or other place of worship), community associations, etc. We didn't need the government. Going further back, my maternal grandmother, an illiterate immigrant from Lebanon, was widowed with 13 children. No welfare, no government intervention, just the community helping out the family. I find that type of assistance to be far more effective and satisfying than the left-wing nanny state philosophy.
In my life, I've known many extreme left-wingers as well as soft left-wingers and not one of them actually did anything directly but did rail on and on about how the government was doing nothing.
So, Hunter is not sounding lefty at all - she is sounding very much like a woman of faith who takes God's commands and Christ's teachings to heart and acts upon them.
Aside from huge charities like the Salvation Army, most of these small non-profit societies that do the overwhelming majority of actual volunteering rely on government subsidy for much of their operating costs.
So I agree with your sentiment that people need to be more involved. But that's our society... There is a lot of dislocation from the community. So until people actually start donating to non-profits and charities at a higher rate, the government will need to step in. That's a fact.
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