Thanks, for what?

A friend came up to me after church this morning to thank me for all that we are doing. While I very much appreciated this man's kindness, I had to explain that some days we really aren't doing all that much.

A woman behind bars was told by police ten years ago that she failed a lie detector test. She was convicted by a jury and sentenced to life in prison. She claims innocence. All she wants is a copy of that polygraph exam. I'm striking out trying to find it.

A man in the UP claims he is bleeding, and doctors say he is dying. The warden says he's being treated. It's too far away for me to go, and too far away for his support system. So here we sit in the middle. What is really going on?

I was encouraged by a Parole Board member to enlist the aid of an Innocence Project for an inmate whose story seemed very credible. We seem to be getting nowhere fast.

The women in Ypsilanti are bombarding this office with complaints about the new toilet tissue restrictions, something that one of our jailhouse lawyers says is actually cruel and unusual treatment. Yet, no matter how hard we try, we seem to hit brick walls.

One of our inmate friends claims DNA evidence would free him. But the police department in the case destroyed the evidence. Now where does he go? Everyone agrees this isn't right, but he stays behind bars. I don't know which way to turn.

Another of our inmate friends who claims innocence must take psych prison classes, where they badger him, try to convince him to show remorse, and say that if he continues to say he didn't do it he'll max out. He's having anxiety attacks. i don't know how to help him.

Prisoners need prayers.

So do we.

Happy Mother's Day?

I'm thinking of a little four-year-old girl early on this Mother's Day morning, as I sip my first cuppa. Our board member Judy VanderArk was making a prison visit at the women's facility in Ypsilanti Friday. She saw this little girl all dressed up, sitting with her grandmother in the waiting room. Judy complimented her on her pretty outfit. The child explained that she was going to visit her mommy...it was her mom's birthday. We see so many experiences like this in prison, and each one can quickly move a person to tears.

I'm thinking of that little girl today, because her mother will not be with her on Mother's Day.

I'd like to ask, today, that we take a moment to remember mothers behind bars.

Out of curiosity, I contacted our local Sheriff, Gary Rosema, to find out how many mothers might be in the Ottawa County Jail. Well, right here in our lily white county that we think is such an exemplary place to live, there are 41 women in jail. 26 of them are mothers. And Gary says this means that 62 children will not be with their mothers for this special day.

In Muskegon today an organization called LETTERS R BETTER is staging a solidarity demonstration outside the County Jail. They just want to not only honor the mothers in jail, but express solidarity with one another.

I haven't found specific figures on the number of mothers behind bars in the U.S., but one report claimed that there are 85,000 mothers incarcerated nationally.

That's a lot of moms who won't get a little hand-made card with the words WORLD'S BEST MOM scrawled in crayon today.

That's sad.

My God be near this special category of mothers today.

Our problems vs. Tony's problems

OK, let's pick three topics that rattle through your brain while driving to work in the morning...not terrible problems necessarily, but nagging issues. Under each topic, I'll tell you what I heard from Tony today...a Michigan prisoner who sent me a short note.

1. Your compensation.

I just got paid by the state today. $17.71. Now I can buy some stamps.

2. Kid issues.

My mom wants me to fight for custody of my 13 year old. His mother isn't taking very good care of him. Clothes are dirty and don't fit. My other brother and his wife, who have 5 boys of their own, took some of their money and got him two outfits and a pair of shoes. Now, when he comes over to go to school, he'll change clothes, so he can stop being teased by the other students.


3. Problems with a neighbor.

I just hate these living conditions---8 man cube. They climb over the wall when you go to chow and pry your locker open while the guards are not looking.

You and I have the ability to deal with matters like these, but imagine the helpless feeling of facing these issues while incarcerated. Small issues suddenly mushroom into big problems.

I hate that anyone even has to live this way.

Say a prayer for prisoners today.

How to help the brothers

"The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do."
- John Holt

OK then, I guess it's time to test my character.

As the person who runs HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS, and who thinks he has the answers for prisoners and their families, this one has me stymied.

I'm working with two brothers, Donald and Joseph. They're not young men anymore. Joseph is in prison, and mentally challenged. Donald is not in prison, but also struggles with issues. In its infinite wisdom, the MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS placed Joseph in the facility at Marquette, Michigan. His only contact is his brother in southwest lower Michigan, more than 450 miles away! Is this really necessary? These are simple people, struggling with simple issues that never bother you and me...why does this have to happen?

So Donald asks me what I can do to help Joseph. Some days he claims doctors are telling him he is dying. He has medical issues but says he doesn't get the right treatment. Donald has no way to get up there, and is counting on some angel to step in and pay his brother a visit and find out what is happening.

The email messages from Joseph to me are so confusing that I do not know what is really going on. One day he is dying, one day he is not. One day he begs for help, the next he sends me on my way.

I'm going to tell you something, ladies and gentlemen. These two men are children of God...created in the image of God.

I can find no one willing to go visit a mentally challenged prisoner in Marquette, let alone try to help him. I know of only one person willing to talk to these men, a female pastor who's not exactly sure how involved she can get, but who really cares.

Here's what we can do, and it's no small thing: pray. Please pray for Joseph and Donald. Maybe it's all we can do.

Wrongful convictions: rare or common?

just when I think I have my life's Maurice Carter chapter buried away, along comes another presentation of the powerful play JUSTICE FOR MAURICE HENRY CARTER.

I've seen it enough times now so that I look around to gauge audience reaction to certain key issues, rather than watch the actors. People react in disbelief. They cannot believe that a trial can end successfully for a prosecutor who has no physical evidence, no fingerprints, no evidence, no motive, and not one credible witness. They gasp when they hear Maurice Carter's terrible court-appointed defense attorney say that he has no questions. He had the key witness, the only true witness to the crime who insisted that Maurice was not the shooter. Yet he blew it.

I'm so used to the whole issue of wrongful convictions that nothing surprises me. But in every performance of our play, people are surprised. And when the whole subject comes to the forefront in my mind, I become angry once again on behalf of those people behind bars who do not belong there.

That's the message that the play must continue to convey: There ARE wrongful convictions out there, lots of them. There are cops and prosecutors who arrest and convict the wrong guy. There are inept court-appointed attorneys failing to do their job for those who cannot afford legal counsel.

And the message to you and me: Complacency is a sin.

A heavenly chat

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to speak with a departed friend now in heaven?

Well, that's the premise of a powerful play written about my dear friend Maurice Carter. He and I became like brothers as we fought alongside each other hoping to prove his innocence. The nine year battle with the state came to an end in 2004 when he was released from prison for medical reasons. He died just three months later.

Award winning playwrights Donald Molnar and Alicia Payne of Toronto were captivated by the story, and have penned a moving stage play called JUSTICE FOR MAURICE HENRY CARTER.

There's a small cast, and a small gospel choir. But the two main characters are Doug Tjapkes, here on this earth...and Maurice Carter, in heaven, having a discussion. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll get angry as you hear them review the ups and downs of that amazing battle for freedom.

I bring all of this up because there will be four staged readings of the play by a fine cast this weekend at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, all in York Theatre. Washington Productions will be presenting the drama on Thursday and Friday, May 2 an 3, at 8 PM. And then on Saturday there will be two performances, at 2 PM and 8 PM. You will not quickly forget Dr. Von Washington's portrayal of Maurice Carter!

There's no admission charge, and it's a story everyone should hear; not because it's about me, but because it's about injustice that could affect anyone.

Please do your best to attend, and let me know your thoughts after the experience.

The widow's mite: mighty!

Last weekend the Board of Directors of HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS held a retreat. In addition to the dramatic increase in requests for assistance, the board has many other important issues to tackle.

Our facilitator, Matthew Downey of Grand Valley State University, pointed out something very interesting when discussing non-profit organizations like ours. The bulk of the support for these agencies does not come from large companies, millionaire donors, or giant foundations. The support comes from individuals, and the majority of those individuals are in low and middle income categories. They do it because they happen to believe in that cause.

That was no surprise to me, because that's exactly the way it is for HFP.

Here at HFP, it is virtually impossible to attract the attention of large foundations. Most don't want to do much for prisoners. And if they do, they'll consider a grant if we want to take on a new program, especially involving re-entry. Well, we don't want to do that. We need money just to try to keep doing what we do best. As far as we know, we're the only agency that focuses specifically on helping one prisoner at a time with all of these humanitarian issues.

And that's why your monthly support is so important. We have many members of the 100 Club now, and they're not all giving $100 a month. Many wanted to join but couldn't afford that much. So we opened it up to all who would agree to a regular monthly sum. Some participants are giving $25 a month. Some are helping to make up for that by giving $200 a month.

The neat thing is that a lot of people care, and a lot of people want to honor the biblical admonition to show compassion to prisoners. And the $5 dollar gift is just as important as the $10,000 gift!

You care. So do we.