Humanity for Prisoners

The older I get (I’m approaching 90!) the more I think, following my comments at an event, what I should have said. For example, I was a member of a panel at the Wealthy Theater in Grand Rapids last weekend for the Can Film Festival’s screening of WRONGED: THE MAURICE CARTER STORY.   After hearing about wrongful convictions and shortcomings of our judicial system, I was asked: “What can we (the public) do?”   I had to think quickly, so I responded by advising everyone to express their opinions at the polls. Michigan lawmakers have been reluctant to take any action on issues that could bring about change. Later I got to thinking about how I could have elaborated.   Local   -Prosecutors are elected. Choose one who is open to alternative sentencing, who doesn’t press for quick plea deals to avoid trial, and who doesn’t oppose the supreme court’s order to resentence juvenile offenders having life sentences with no parole. -When you hear and read about police of...

Michigan’s only prison for women has drawn a lot of attention recently. Family members, observers and even state lawmakers have called for the resignation of   MDOC Director Heidi Washington following 4 recent deaths at the facility. As a result of these pressures, reported almost daily in the media, the warden of Women’s Huron Valley (WHV) took a leave of absence and the MDOC Director actually moved her office into the Ypsilanti facility for a while.   Despite all of that, a couple of whistleblowers tell HFP things haven’t really changed all that much.   On the subject of retaliation: - “ Many of the women here are scared to speak up due to the retaliation becoming worse and worse. The director may have walked off, but nothing has gotten better. Many of our voices are being silenced due to fear. Just because we did wrong, does not mean we deserve to be treated this way!” - “If I make any suggestions or try to help I am cussed out or shoved out of the programs.” ...

Many of us (especially parents) involved in prisoner advocacy actually grieve on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day! Occupants of our prisons are no different than you and me. Those holidays are special for us, and incarcerated men and women wish it could be special for them, also. It’s not.   Shortly after Father’s Day, 2026, (which I was blessed to observe with kids, grandkids and 2 great grandkids!) I came upon a program in California that has promise. I’d like to see it get started it Michigan.   It all began 26 years ago when a group of Catholic sisters and laywomen made visits to a couple of women’s prisons in California. One heartbreaking theme emerged repeatedly: "We never see our children."   So, they did something about it! The program is called “Get on the bus.”   “Get on the Bus” brings children and their caregivers from throughout the State of California to visit their mothers and fathers in prison. This statewide prison visiting program trains and e...

Insisting that residents of Michigan’s prisons come up with a copay before they can receive medical or dental help just doesn't make sense!   If you live in any one of the state prisons in Michigan you must cough up $5 before you can see a medical specialist in healthcare. On the surface that doesn’t seem like much. But, you must factor in prison wages for those who are fortunate enough to get a job. The pay scale is likely to be in the area of 70 cents an hour.   Now consider how rotten the food program is in our prisons…bad food and small portions. So, that prompts those who live behind bars to use the vending machines and microwave ovens. When they have only a few bucks to spend, and the choice is between food or medical care, guess which one wins!   I’m bringing this up, once again, because I just saw a note that said the MDOC collected more than $126,000 in medical and dental copays during the 2025 fiscal year. The MDOC annual budget exceeds $2.1 billion! That...

Every Father’s Day, when I’m treated royally by kids, grandkids, and great grandkids, my mind goes to those grandpas, dads and sons who are behind bars. For them, there’s no frivolity, no celebration today.   Some years ago, in honor of Father’s Day, the CAN-DO Foundation collected a series of quotes, reflections, stories and insights from numerous men inside prison who will not participate in the normal festivities that most of us will enjoy today. I share a few.   Craig: “Fourteen years before my arrest, I realized an instinct I never considered when I looked into the eyes of a seven-pound newborn, not much bigger than a loaf of bread. She reached out to me for everything, and it was my honor to deliver. Following my arrest, I failed to show for the graduation ceremony, the Father/Daughter Dance, and to mean-mug the first date.”   Michael: “I was so certain that I was going to receive clemency that I gave away all my art supplies and brushes. My father was very ...

Today is Juneteenth…officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated every year on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday's name, first used in the 1890s, is a blend of the words “June” and “nineteenth,” referring to June 19, 1865, the day when Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas at the end of the American Civil War.   It is indeed a day of celebration, but as I was preparing this piece I ran across Marsha P. Johnson’s quote: “ How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?”   My response: It still hasn’t happened!   My work focuses on the plight of incarcerated men and women, and in the HFP office we’re finding that Blacks are still far from getting fair treatment!   When it comes to getting into trouble -Communities of color are...