Humanity for Prisoners

The prayers of oppressed people are especially precious in God's sight. As you have advocated for them, they will advocate for you. Rev. Celia Hastings, Ellsworth, Michigan Prayer makes a difference. No one can shake my belief in that truism. I look back at 2010, when a deadly staph infection attacked this old body. Loss of the ability to swallow, loss of 65 pounds, functioning on a feeding tube for 6 months, family gathering in a prayer that Dad will survive. It was a dark scene. I wasn’t buried in discouragement, but I wondered if I would ever play the organ in church again, or go to Fricano’s for pizza and beer again. Prayers of family, friends, and church were abundant, and I'm certain they played a significant role in pulling me through. But I was amazed by the intensity and frequency of prayers from prisoners, some whom I had never met or even helped. Fast forward to the year 2018. On the day before Thanksgiving another sinister attack on this 82-yea...

I’m writing today from a hospital bed. Three guys in the next bed have been teaching me some lessons. Funny how things go, but I suffered a heart attack early morning on the day before Thanksgiving. I’ll be undergoing open heart surgery on Monday. Between tests, procedures, injections, and a variety of other preparatory measures, I have time to write. It goes without saying that prisoners and prisons are on my mind a lot. Even when I'm here. And I’m seeing some interesting parallels while lying in this bed: When you don’t abide by the rules, you’re going to pay the price! In society, if you violate the rules, there’s a good chance you’ll wind up in prison. When you’re there, you’d do well to contemplate the wisdom and advice of counselors and reentry. Because if you make unwise decisions, there’s a good chance you’ll wind up right back there again. The same holds true for those who chose to violate rules of caring for the body. There’s a good chance they’ll wind u...

What we love to hear:   Your sins are forgiven. What? Do you really mean it? Even the worst, most secret sin in my life? The biggest skeleton hidden in my remotest closet? What we don’t like to hear : For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Wait a minute. You don’t know the whole story! This person took the life of my loved one! My friend Bill used to say to me, “Douger, there’s a little bit of larceny in all of us.” I’ll go one step further. I think there’s a little bit of vindictiveness in all of us. I use this week’s Public Hearing for a local businessman as an example. Ron Redick killed his business partner in 1991, and has spent the last 26 years in prison. At age 81, he has now requested that Governor Snyder commute his sentence, so that he can spend his remaining years in freedom. The Michigan P...

A friend posted the cutest video on FB the other day. A little boy and a little girl, probably age 3 or 4, were shooting baskets at a hoop probably designed for 5-year-olds. The little girl’s shot and missed, and it broke her heart. She stood there crying. The heroic little boy not only hugged and consoled her, but handed her the basketball again. This time, he hoisted her to a level where she could make the basket. The resulting smiles were precious! This poignant video, which lasted only 30 seconds, was shared by the sister of a prisoner whom I loved…now deceased. It arrived the day before my 82 nd birthday, and it prompted some somber thoughts. I encourage you to take a minute to watch it. It’ll make your day. Perhaps you’ve seen it already. Over 5 million hits, I’m told! Maybe this is a stretch, but here’s the parallel I see. The little girl represents many men and women behind bars in Michigan, as well as their families and loved ones. Life isn’t easy...

“What does a model prisoners look like?” That’s the question from my friend Ricardo. Ricardo has been in the Michigan prison system for 36 years, and is a prolific writer. He was pointing out, in this particular essay, that over-incarceration is costing Michigan tax-payers a ton of money. We’ve been hammering on that for years. He gave as an example the case of his friend Charlie. Charlie is 75, and what we call a “parolable lifer.” He’s serving a life sentence, but is eligible for parole. Charlie has served nearly 44 years with an impeccable blemish-free prison record. “He has never incurred a misconduct report in his entire period of incarceration, quite a rarity given the amount of years he's been in prison. His accomplishments are far too many to mention. Nevertheless, the Michigan Parole Board chose to ignore arguably the most excellent of candidates to grant parole. Like countless others who have long been eligible, the board simply rejects moving good candidates f...

Edna’s husband was a millionaire industrialist. He was wrongly convicted due to a sinister extortion plot. He went to prison, and appeals filed by the best attorneys were denied. Even though their marriage for the past 18 years was solid, Edna decided that her life had to move on. She filed for divorce. Danny lost his freedom. Then he lost the love of his life. He never fully recovered. Divorce is not uncommon. When Daisy went to prison a corrections officer inquired as to when she was getting a divorce. She laughed, and asked what the heck that was all about. Her marriage was fine. One year later, sure enough, Bill filed for divorce. Life may be standing still for her, but it was going to move on for him. Forgiveness is difficult. Robin Sharma, one of the world’s top leadership experts, claims “Forgiveness isn’t approving what happened. It’s choosing to rise above it.” I’ll not forget the day that I contacted the adult son of an elderly prisoner for help with some of...

No question about it: Most people are getting sick of the political ads. Your television set isn’t on for five minutes before you are bombarded with messages as to why you should vote for one person, and why his or her opponent is a danger to society. On the national level, we hear about immigration and about the economy. Healthcare is a major topic of discussion, and so is our nation’s leadership. But you don’t hear any discussion about -mass incarceration---2.2 million people behind bars, the highest percentage per capita in the world; -wrongful convictions---staggering numbers that have Innocence Projects in every state struggling with serious backlogs; and -the death penalty---only 20 states have abolished this shameful practice! Here in Michigan, there’s a lot of political discussion on who’s toughest on crime, bad water, right to life, and fixing the roads. But you don’t hear any discussion about -39,000 people occupying 30 prisons in Pure Michigan, a far hi...