Humanity for Prisoners

I’m thinking of Shakespeare’s famous quote during the holiday season. In this season of Advent, for example, we are reminded of the prophet Isaiah’s titles as he predicted the coming of a savior: Immanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.   Then, when that savior was born, which we celebrate on December 25, his real first name emerged. Dr. Luke tells us, On the 8 th day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus.   More names and titles came after that: Emmanuel, Christ (the Anointed One), Savior, Lord, Son of God, King of Kings.   In later life though, things changed. When people became aware of that fact that this Jesus was a controversial, no nonsense itinerant preacher, the name-calling wasn’t so pleasant! Even church leaders used words like Blasphemer, False Prophet, Demon Possessed, Wine Bibber!   Let’s face it. Times haven’t changed all that much. We may start out with sweet names for our little babies...

  What's in the brown paper bag?   INTRODUCTION By Doug Tjapkes, Founder, HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS   I’d like to share a beautiful story...a story not written by me.  I feel certain that Luis Ramirez would be honored to have us pass along what he has written, but I can't ask him.  He's dead.   This message came to me from Texas Death Row in the early days of HFP. I was so touched by the experience that I vowed to keep the story alive. We generally re-publish it during the holiday season. May it remind us, again, that the names on death row represent real people. And, that the death penalty is dead wrong!   Anyway, here’s my gift to you today...a story from the late Luiz Ramirez: (In all caps, just the way he sent it)   I CAME HERE IN MAY OF 1999...A TSUNAMI OF EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS WERE GOING THROUGH MY MIND.  I REMEMBER THE ONLY THINGS IN THE CELL WERE A MATTRESS, PILLOW, A COUPLE SHEETS, A PILLOW CASE, A ROLL OF TOILET PAPER AND A BLANKET....

I’m a news junkie. I admit it. I’m sure it’s a result of writing and broadcasting thousands of newscasts in an earlier life. I listen to local and network newscasts and I still read hard-copy newspapers. Now that I’m in the humanity business in my final career, related topics in the news catch my attention. And that was the case over the weekend.   Thomas Banchoff declared, in a Washington Post column: Mercy is painfully scarce in our politics today. He gave specific examples out of Washington DC---eliminating life-giving aid programs abroad and threatening to withhold food assistance for more than 40 million Americans. In addition, he contended that the administration’s mass deportation program “has been particularly merciless, criminalizing those who once entered the country illegally but have long been law-abiding and productive members of our communities.”   In another powerful column, this one in the Lost Angeles Times, Noubar Afeyan, coined a new but appropriate word...

 I  define “boasting” as speaking with excessive pride about one’s achievements. The writer of this essay is NOT boasting. Instead, in this sequel to Wednesday's essay,  I use the word “pride.” On the day after Thanksgiving  I share this piece with a humble sense of pride in the fact that I’m allowed to feel a sense of satisfaction regarding accomplishments achieved over the past 24 years (all in the name of the wrongly-convicted Jesus!). OK, here goes. And remember, no braggadocio as I relate messages from 3 "old timers," guys who have spent nearly 90 years in prison.   First, let’s talk about John.   On Thanksgiving Day I received a call from John, who was released a few years ago after spending 39 years behind bars. One of the things I remember about working with John involved a spiritual observance, or lack thereof. John is a Native American, and he called me to complaint that the MDOC was discriminating against his people by refusing to allow the...

I know, I know.  It sounds goofy. But it’s true! I’m genuinely thankful for prisoners in my life, and for all the lessons I learn from them.   I am not  thankful that our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, and that our own state keeps people in prison longer than most others.   I am not  thankful that we still have over 32,000 people in the Michigan prison system, costing taxpayers $4-million a day…more than we spend on education!   I am not  thankful for the numerous cases of over-charging and over-sentencing felons in Michigan.   I am not  thankful for the lack of creative and innovative sentence alternatives, which could render such positive results in society if given the chance.   I am not  thankful for the lack of uniformity in sentences, as seen in the wide range of sentences received by prisoners, perhaps of a different color or perhaps in a different county, for the same crime!   I...

I don’t weep much. My therapist friend labels that condition with a highfalutin title. It’s something I’m not proud of. I place a good share of the blame on the fact that I was a small-town news reporter for nearly 30 years. I’ve seen too much, heard too much, experienced too much. You get the idea.  Having made that confession I admit that, on rare occasion, tears do stream down my cheeks. And, each time it surprises me!. That seldom happens over the usual sad experiences like death or tragedy. Instead, it can occur over something very unexpected and very simple, such as a musician's interpretation of a piece of music or the lyrics in a favorite old hymn: “My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more…” That one will do it almost every time as I sit on the organ bench accompanying the congregation.   Well, let me tell you about my experience in the past week when I met Simon Latch. You wouldn’...