Humanity for Prisoners

Decades ago I was asked to host a national memorial service that honored fallen members of the United States Coast Guard. Every summer the birthday of the Coast Guard is officially observed in a huge event called the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival. Our harbor is filled with Coast Guard Ships, and mega crowds come here for parades, concerts, food, carnival rides, art exhibits and more.   Many Coast Guard officials, as well as local leaders, have commented that this meaningful memorial service, held at the city’s Escanaba Park on the bank of the Grand River, is a festival highlight.   What a thrill to serve as the emcee! Following a welcome to the large crowd attending the outdoor ceremony, I read the name of every person who died in the line of duty in the previous 12 months, as a bell tolled. That was followed by the symbolic ritual of placing a wreath at the waterfront park’s memorial plaque. Fitting music was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard Band. In conclusion, a fire...

I work with people who are incarcerated. That’s one reason why today is so special for me. Today is a feast day for the Roman Catholic Church, as it   observes The Memorial of St. Dismas . And by now many of you are asking, “Who the heck is St. Dismas? Why does that have any meaning for Doug, a protestant?   Well, a little background here.   The season of Lent reaches its peak on Good Friday when Jesus was put to death, and then on Easter when he conquered death.   The St. Dismas story occurs on Good Friday when two crooks were also hanging on crosses, right beside Jesus. So here you had one man, wrongly convicted, and two guys with really bad records…probably guilty of rebellion or treason!   The three of them on this hill in an area called Golgotha.   Here’s how St. Luke tells it: ""One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,...

I don’t write 700-word essays very often, but I choose to do so today in memory of a dear friend. I witnessed his death on March 20, 19 years ago. Seeing someone take final breaths is not an unusual experience. Many people have been at the bedside of a friend or loved one for precious final moments. No, that isn’t the way this happened. I was behind a window at the State of Texas’ death chamber. I watched the state take the life of my friend Charles Anthony Nealy. He would have been 43 if he had lived three days longer. It’s a long story, but worth re-telling as a reminder that capital punishment is sinister and evil and wrongful convictions are real. The year was 2002, just 12 months after I had founded a little organization called INNOCENT…an agency that later became HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. A support group for Mr. Nealy in England had contacted me for assistance. It was a sad story. Anthony had been found guilty of murder by a Texas jury in 1998 in, what the Dallas Morning Ne...

  “…forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us” Matthew 6:12   I memorized the Lord’s Prayer when I was a little tyke. Sometimes my mom and dad would ask me to recite it before our meal at suppertime. Little did I know, back then, what Jesus was talking about here. And, I suspect that, even now, when we race through that prayer we pay little attention to this powerful statement.   Let’s face it. Forgiveness isn’t easy!   I’m struggling with that right now. An acquaintance has screwed up royally and, in doing so, burned nearly all of his bridges. I must just forgive?   As an old news writer and a news junkie, however, I’m heartened by some of the stories I read.   For example, in recent days there was a sad story in the news. 5 teenagers in Georgia were going to TP their teacher’s home. The instructor, however, learned of the plot and thought it would be fun to catch them in the act. But, the scared kids fled in their ...

We have numerous prison problems in Michigan…some that require difficult solutions. But it doesn’t take a brilliant scholar to figure this one out!   Here’s the deal.   Michigan prisons spend roughly 15% of their $2.1 billion budget on healthcare, especially driven by the aging population. As of today, our state prison population stands at about 32,250.   Now let’s focus on that “aging population.”   Here in Michigan we have nearly 1,000 prisoners between the ages of 70 and 80, and another 129 who are 80 and older ! The margin of incarcerated men and women over 60 years of age in Michigan totals 3.5%, as compared to the national average of 1-2%. Just imagine the dollars that could be saved by reducing this segment of our prison population!   My friend “Big Ben,” now 76 years of age, has been in prison for 52 years! He’s elderly, kind and gentle. Do you honestly believe that he and others like him, aged 70-90, might reoffend? Give me a break!   It ...