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From perceived enemy to treasured friend

August,2026, marks the 25th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners. This is the sixth in a series of reflections by founder Doug Tjapkes.   John Smietanka: At the beginning, a bitter enemy.   Every time I heard the name John Smietanka it was in negative comments from my friend Maurice Carter. Maurice had been arrested, prosecuted and convicted of a crime he did not commit back in the 70s in Berrien County. The prosecutor at that time was John Smietanka. The case was handled by one of his assistants. However, he was considered the enemy by Maurice and all of us in the committee seeking to free him.   Fast forward 30 years. As the founder and sole employee of HFP, I was getting badgered by one of our new clients. He insisted that I discuss his case with attorney John Smietanka, who had an office in Grandville. This guy had been wrongly convicted in Kent County and had heard about a high-profile wrongful conviction case that John had won. Remembering Maurice, I resist...
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Innocent man gets help from a cop!

August,2026, marks the 25th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners. This is the fifth in a series of reflections by founder Doug Tjapkes.   Oh, the irony of it!   My friend Andre’ Nelson, now 55 years of age, has been fighting well over 30 years trying to prove that he did not murder anyone.   Andre’ was one of our very early clients after I formed the organization in 2001. At that time our agency’s name was INNOCENT, and so we obviously caught the attention of men and women behind bars who claimed wrongful conviction. Andre had been convicted of a 1993 murder that he claims he knew nothing about, after only 1 hour of deliberation by a jury!   This was a unique case in that the alleged justice system in Detroit shamefully took advantage of a young man with a low IQ. Following a personal visit with Andre’ in the early 2000s he and I became special friends. The more II learned about his case the more upset I became.   I know that he could not read well ...
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Families of prisoners matter, too!

August marks the 25 th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners. This is the fourth in a series of reflections by founder Doug Tjapkes.     I have no idea how Joyce obtained my home telephone number, but she did…and she called me.   An elderly Black woman living on fixed income and battling cancer, I had never met Joyce. But, she knew about Humanity for Prisoners, she found my personal telephone number and she was begging for help.   Joyce explained that she had a son in prison who was experiencing serious mental issues. She feared that he might try to take his own life and she asked if we could not only check on him, but perhaps even find some help for him.   My immediate response was, “Why don’t you visit him, yourself? A chat with his mother would certainly be best!” And that’s when I learned of a bigger problem. Her reply: “I’m not allowed to visit him!”   Long story short…she has not one, but two sons in prison, and she hadn’t been allowed to...
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Men in prison crocheting? HFP helped!

August marks the 25 th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners. This is the third in a series of reflections by founder Doug Tjapkes.   I’m not sure how it all began. In the earlier days of HFP I was invited to numerous Michigan prisons to hold workshops, give speeches and answer questions. Having made several visits to Women’s Huron Valley (WHV) I learned that a group of women were crocheting for charity. Their wonderful products were going to various shelters for women.   Later, I was surprised to discover that many men had taken up crocheting! These guys discovered, as well, that such an activity was not only a good use of time but also an excellent way to do something for others. For example, a veterans’ group in one of the facilities was making stacks of coats, hats and scarves for indigent and homeless vets.  We shared photos in our newsletter. BUT, there was a common supply problem. These projects were invariably hampered by a lack of yarn, something the state...
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HFP’s warm response on a cold day

August, 2026, marks the 25 th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners. This is the second in a series of reflections essays by founder Doug Tjapkes.   It was a typical Michigan winter day. Latitia, a young single mother from Benton Harbor, was being released from Women’s Huron Valley, our state’s only prison for women, located in Ypsilanti.   A prison van delivered Latitia to the Greyhound station in Ann Arbor where she would board a bus for the ride to her hometown. The moment she stepped out of the van it was gone. She stood alone on the curb with no coat, no boots and no way to stay warm. Then things turned from bad to worse. The ticket agent informed her that, due to blizzard conditions, her bus trip to Benton Harbor had been canceled.   Where to go? What to do?   Latitia spotted a nearby shelter for women. It was there that she found heat and a telephone. She could remember only one telephone number: that of Humanity for Prisoners.   Laticia was ...
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On things that led to a name change

  August, 2026, marks the 25 th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners. Founder Doug Tjapkes reflects on early experiences in this month’s essays.   “Are you Mister Doug?” I was walking to my car in the parking lot of INNOCENT’s new office in downtown Muskegon, Michigan. The year was 2004 and I had just moved into donated office space in the old Muskegon County jail. The move was not public information and I have no idea how someone tracked me down. But she did.   I turned around and found a young Black teenaged girl looking up at me. I responded, “Yes, I’m Doug.”   Somehow this little girl not only knew who I was but also what I was doing. She was aware of the work of INNOCENT.   Then she started telling me her story. Her daddy was in prison in one of the 3 facilities right there in Muskegon operated by the Michigan Department of Corrections. She tearfully explained that he had cancer and that he was dying. “Can you help me?”   A reminder, he...
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Hospice: finally happening in Michigan prisons!

Hospice was on my mind a lot in the early 2000s. Number one, my wife Marcia had been a certified hospice nurse for 2 decades. Number two, my full-time job was leading and running HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS, and there were numerous shameful stories about death and dying.   I felt the need for genuine hospice programs in our state prisons and wanted to do something about it.   I hosted a town meeting on the topic in Grand Haven with a panel of experts. I then went a step further by conferring with Hospice of Michigan. I and HOM representatives made a presentation to the top brass at the Michigan Department of Corrections. We felt it was an offer for help that the state could not reject. We were wrong. We were told that the prison system’s hospice-type program called CHOICES was more than adequate (it wasn’t!). That’s an acronym: It stands for Choose, Health Options, Initiate Care, and Educate Self. The message to our team was clear: thanks but no, thanks.   I provide all ...
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