Watch now | The second of a two-part series, The Long Road Home, we look at what happens to those in the United States who leave prison and struggle to reenter society through the eyes of five former prisoners.
If a person is convicted in a fair way, didn't plead, got legal representation, and so forth, then it's presumed he/she did some thing wrong. That is, he stepped outside the boundaries of the law and in order to be readmitted into society needs to accept some punishment, and be within the boundaries of the law, again. Hallelujah! When he/she gets out, each one is reborn, and should be WELCOMED back into society...the prodigal son/daughter has been saved, restored, renewed.
That would be the ideal way to treat the previously incarcerated. But that is not what happens; these people in this video are large, strong, intelligent and have the will to fight for their better outcome. They are exceptionally courageous, survivors after all.
Elderly white collar offender here. Incarcerated for a period of time during the pandemic. My sentencing judge stated I would be in more danger of exposure in my community. We were exposed to the COVID-19 virus by a kitchen CO. Spent a few days in a hospital. “Recovered” after a couple of months. Due to ongoing symptoms, including headaches, vision changes and shortness of breath, I have since been diagnosed with “post-COVID syndrome” by my family physician.
We were locked down or placed in ad seg for nearly half a year while the BOP, led by Carvajal, sorted their papers and made videos to tell their fans on the World Wide Web what a great job they were doing containing the pandemic.
I am currently on home detention, complete with electronic monitoring. I am about as low level risk as it gets. I am a grandfather with zero criminal history. Marked and restricted in this way makes any real community re-entry an utter impossibility. Employment? LOL. I live in a “checkbox state.” Besides that, it is a trivial matter to research my newly created “criminal history.” Google never forgets.
The unfortunate indignities of state retribution are but a small section of the nightmarish bureaucratic web I have gotten myself tangled in for likely the remainder of my days on earth. Although my life is a shambles and the odds against me are stacked higher than I can see, I still have my family support. My journey to redemption may be deterred from time to time by bureaucrats who only see my crime, completely disregarding my humanity, but I will carry on. I will give and receive the love that is the core of being, the spirit of the divine and the source of all joy.
Oh Chris , this is an area of massive interest to me as a volunteer in this area in Australia.
I couldn’t wait for a 4 week delivery of a hard copy edition of Our Class, so I went online to Booktopia and purchased an electronic version to access immediately.
I cannot thank you enough for highlighting the injustice of the penal system in America that is relevant in Australia.
Top quality stuff, Chris. We recently had a case of the state wanting to put a half way house in the community to help prisoners transition to the outside after their sentences are complete. The degree of hysteria some people had over the decision, it was clear that they wanted to keep people incarcerated forever. Americans need a serious dose of humility and we have to have a serious discussion about what the point of prison is. These are real people here. You can't destroy their future without destroying them and that is not a good idea.
I ended up here in an odd way and noticed this post. I am sending you a (9 min) video link about a trucking business in Houston conceived, started and run by formerly incarcerated men. My husband, a faith-based nonprofit CEO for 30 years, helped secure the capitalization of this business through a little-known government agency, sort of the "last man standing" of the Great Society programs. This agency makes annual films of the "best of" businesses that received funding. (It is a way for this agency to keep getting appropriations.) Grace Freight was the recent unanimous choice to showcase. My dear spouse is the jolly Friar Tuck-ish fellow in the video. Enjoy!
Chris Hedges and students: What a powerful and sad-yet-redemptive documentary. Rutgers U and its Prison Justice programs - giving hope in a land where there seems otherwise to be so little. Unless prisons or incarceration systems are actively engaged in restorative and educationally rehabilitative programs then there is no justice. My younger brother worked for a period in juvenile detention in NSW in Australia - he was a Youth Worker teaching carpentry skills - but much of his time was spent in encouraging the young people against a backdrop of almost (not quite all) constant demeaning and taunting from fellow Youth Worker "guards" or bribery via cigarettes and porn videos or taking for beers in nearby pubs (can you believe) with a Superintendent who was skimming the budget to build a house on the coast. When my brother spoke up about these things - a wheel was loosened on his car - and on the way home one afternoon with his family he was surprised to find a tyre bounding past him on the driver's side - his rear tyre! Able to pull the car to a halt - fortunately. Tony Vinson was a leading academic and advocate for prison reform decades ago in Australia - though little has changed and we now follow the US systen of private-for-profit prisons, sadly. Thanks again.
I was in a woman’s prison camp for only 3 years - and I see how hard it is to get a job
I’ve had to lie about my past- thankfully I don’t “look” like most peoples idea of a
“Criminal”
There’s an ongoing feeling of shame
I can no longer vote (in my state)
I can not get most government programs or many jobs
But I’m to build a new life at 60+ Yrs old
Well I’m blessed I have great support in my family of friends who stood by me
It’s my fault I was in there- but after you serve your time … you’re not even done
Chris is spot on
I can’t fathom 10-20-30 years inside
Especially a mens prison- I saw them, as an orderly
I’m blessed, and it’s not easy
This country is so in the dark ages with the penal system
I can’t see a way to change it either
Thank you Chris -for what you do
We did have many great volunteers come to our prison camp - we appreciated them all
If a person is convicted in a fair way, didn't plead, got legal representation, and so forth, then it's presumed he/she did some thing wrong. That is, he stepped outside the boundaries of the law and in order to be readmitted into society needs to accept some punishment, and be within the boundaries of the law, again. Hallelujah! When he/she gets out, each one is reborn, and should be WELCOMED back into society...the prodigal son/daughter has been saved, restored, renewed.
That would be the ideal way to treat the previously incarcerated. But that is not what happens; these people in this video are large, strong, intelligent and have the will to fight for their better outcome. They are exceptionally courageous, survivors after all.
Elderly white collar offender here. Incarcerated for a period of time during the pandemic. My sentencing judge stated I would be in more danger of exposure in my community. We were exposed to the COVID-19 virus by a kitchen CO. Spent a few days in a hospital. “Recovered” after a couple of months. Due to ongoing symptoms, including headaches, vision changes and shortness of breath, I have since been diagnosed with “post-COVID syndrome” by my family physician.
We were locked down or placed in ad seg for nearly half a year while the BOP, led by Carvajal, sorted their papers and made videos to tell their fans on the World Wide Web what a great job they were doing containing the pandemic.
I am currently on home detention, complete with electronic monitoring. I am about as low level risk as it gets. I am a grandfather with zero criminal history. Marked and restricted in this way makes any real community re-entry an utter impossibility. Employment? LOL. I live in a “checkbox state.” Besides that, it is a trivial matter to research my newly created “criminal history.” Google never forgets.
The unfortunate indignities of state retribution are but a small section of the nightmarish bureaucratic web I have gotten myself tangled in for likely the remainder of my days on earth. Although my life is a shambles and the odds against me are stacked higher than I can see, I still have my family support. My journey to redemption may be deterred from time to time by bureaucrats who only see my crime, completely disregarding my humanity, but I will carry on. I will give and receive the love that is the core of being, the spirit of the divine and the source of all joy.
Oh Chris , this is an area of massive interest to me as a volunteer in this area in Australia.
I couldn’t wait for a 4 week delivery of a hard copy edition of Our Class, so I went online to Booktopia and purchased an electronic version to access immediately.
I cannot thank you enough for highlighting the injustice of the penal system in America that is relevant in Australia.
Blessings 🕊🙏🏼🖤💛❤️
Top quality stuff, Chris. We recently had a case of the state wanting to put a half way house in the community to help prisoners transition to the outside after their sentences are complete. The degree of hysteria some people had over the decision, it was clear that they wanted to keep people incarcerated forever. Americans need a serious dose of humility and we have to have a serious discussion about what the point of prison is. These are real people here. You can't destroy their future without destroying them and that is not a good idea.
Dear Chris,
I ended up here in an odd way and noticed this post. I am sending you a (9 min) video link about a trucking business in Houston conceived, started and run by formerly incarcerated men. My husband, a faith-based nonprofit CEO for 30 years, helped secure the capitalization of this business through a little-known government agency, sort of the "last man standing" of the Great Society programs. This agency makes annual films of the "best of" businesses that received funding. (It is a way for this agency to keep getting appropriations.) Grace Freight was the recent unanimous choice to showcase. My dear spouse is the jolly Friar Tuck-ish fellow in the video. Enjoy!
https://vimeo.com/618283957/ef24889cdf
One method of defunding the police: money diverted into community-based reintegration-into-the-public initiatives.
Deeply moving stories of courage in the face of adversity
Chris Hedges and students: What a powerful and sad-yet-redemptive documentary. Rutgers U and its Prison Justice programs - giving hope in a land where there seems otherwise to be so little. Unless prisons or incarceration systems are actively engaged in restorative and educationally rehabilitative programs then there is no justice. My younger brother worked for a period in juvenile detention in NSW in Australia - he was a Youth Worker teaching carpentry skills - but much of his time was spent in encouraging the young people against a backdrop of almost (not quite all) constant demeaning and taunting from fellow Youth Worker "guards" or bribery via cigarettes and porn videos or taking for beers in nearby pubs (can you believe) with a Superintendent who was skimming the budget to build a house on the coast. When my brother spoke up about these things - a wheel was loosened on his car - and on the way home one afternoon with his family he was surprised to find a tyre bounding past him on the driver's side - his rear tyre! Able to pull the car to a halt - fortunately. Tony Vinson was a leading academic and advocate for prison reform decades ago in Australia - though little has changed and we now follow the US systen of private-for-profit prisons, sadly. Thanks again.