COMING HOME!

Corey learned yesterday he has been approved to move to home confinement! Next Tuesday he will be in his very own apartment, as of 5:30 am. Ha! And you can bet he’ll be there, THAT early!! He’s waited a long for this moment, and doesn’t want to miss a second of it.
He will have to wear a monitor (ankle bracelet) but feels its a small price to pay for the change (IMPROVEMENT IN) his accommodations. He’s also not sure yet what, if any, further restrictions will come with living outside the HwH during the next 4 ½ months months he remains on HWH status, but again, will comply readily as required.

The past weeks he’s been authorized on many days to spend time at his apartment and has been painting and furnishing it so it would be move in ready when he was given the OK. The place looks great and I am beyond content (sigh) knowing in just over 3 more days he’ll finally, finally (!) be sleeping in his own bed in his own lovely, serene bedroom, cooking meals in his own kitchen, kicking back on his big comfy leather couch, watching his own tv whenever he feels like it!!! All things we, most of us, take for granted and don’t have any idea of (and many just don’t care about), the full extent, the TOTALITY OF, the losses of those privileges that come with imprisonment.

It is what it is but we are seeing a shift in the wind of late, advocates for prison reform are making a great deal of progress and hopefully we will see real change soon, a sane approach to how we deal with crime and punishment in this country. Our sentences are too long, the time does not fit the crime, we warehouse far too many low level, non violent offenders and do not prepare them for successful re-entry into society. The prison door is a revolving door, our recidivism rate holds at over 75%. I don’t think most realize three quarters (!!!) of released felons return to prison, having met with far too many obstacles upon their release. After years of being warehoused they have long gaps in their work histories, and with their felony record scare away most employers. Most never make it past the ‘application’ process where they must check ‘the box’ indicating they have been convicted of a felony. Perpetuating this cycle of failure makes us safer as a society how??? Desperation can lead a person to turn to desperate measures to survive.

When I happen across popular shows on tv about prison (“OZ” for one, or “Lockup”, an actual ‘franchise’ with spinoffs such as Raw, Extended Stay, World Tour, Special Investigation, and Life After Lockup) I pass them by. That audiences, including young, impressionable viewers, are led to believe this is true, everyday prison life, is a disservice, both to them and to the prisoners. To ensure and grow 'ratings' the shows center on the extremes, violence and oppression, they utilize shock value’ to keep viewers coming back. Programs like these only serve to perpetuate the failure of our broken system. These programs are edited to depict the worst, most violent, most stressful situations, because in most cases daily life in prison would bore an audience to tears. No one would watch. Most prisons in america are filled with low level, non violent, mostly first time offenders, fighting boredom 24/7, simply trying to get through another long day with little to do but dream of release. The reason I rail against such programs is that they (in their quest for 'ratings' - which translates into dollars!!) they only serve to perpetuate the fear many harbor when they hear the world “prison” or “felon”, they perpetuate the stigma, making it all but impossible for EX felons, men/women who have served their time, paid for the mistakes of their pasts, from ever being forgiven or a chance at a new life.

Today I'll visit Coreys apartment and fill the empty cupboards with his favorite foods. He loves to cook and I can imagine the joy he'll feel at cooking his first meal in his own kitchen. I remain optomistic and excited that this next step forward will further the momentum he is experiencing, the moving forward to the next chapter.

"It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem." ~G.K. Chesterton