With an eagerness to complete this chapter I’m writing for Professor Joan Petersilia’s book, I woke this morning at 2:06. I had a productive writing session until 7:30 this morning. The sun was shining and I then walked to the track to begin my exercise. I ran 10 miles and followed the run with 400 pushups. My tally now stands at 1,106 miles over the past 125 days.
Following my exercise I returned to the quiet room and resumed work on the chapter. While writing, I heard a sad story. Another prisoner just returned to Taft Camp. He had been released from the camp about one year ago. Now he has returned with another year to serve because he violated the conditions of his supervised release.
The irony is that the man feels grateful for his return to prison. He was all smiles, shaking hands and hugging all the prisoners he knew from before he left. When he learned that the chow hall was serving pancakes for breakfast, he expressed elation.
When I later appraoched the man to confirm what I had heard about his joy at returning to Taft Camp, he greeted me with a hug. To gauge his reaction, I told him that I was sorry he had returned to prison. He told me it was the best for him. The recession has made the world unbearable, he said. He couldn’t gather the funds to rent an apartment, couldn’t find employment. Sometimes he went without food. One year at Taft Camp offered the respite he said that he wanted. When his lawyer was going to argue for six months, the man said he wanted the full year in prison.
I work hard preparing for the obstacles ahead because I’ve seen too many people return to prison. I feel sad for the man, and sad for society that operates a criminal justice system that releases 700,000 people each year, many of whom lack the skills and resources to function in society. I expect to play a role in changing such dismal realities. Prison reform can help.
This month has kept me busy with longer-term writing projects. Soon I will return to more extensive blogging.
Thursday, 16 April 2009
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