Humanity for Prisoners

Two innocent men behind bars have new hope today. That makes us very proud!   As I’ve mentioned before, Michigan prisoners are not permitted to seek legal documents through the Freedom of Information Act. The act, adopted in 1976 so that all persons would have access to legal documents, got amended in 1994. Claiming that prisoners were abusing this privilege, the Michigan legislature determined that prisoners are not “persons,” and put a stop to this activity.   Our position is that of many legal scholars: Denying prisoners the right to seek important legal documents by submitting FOIA requests actually deprives them of the right to due process of law. So, we file the claims for them. The word has quickly circulated among Michigan prisoners, and we are inundated with requests. To give you an idea, we’ve already filed more than 300 FOIA requests for prisoners so far this year . An amazing number when you consider the fact that we couldn’t file any, due to COVID, in March an...

As I sat in a prison waiting room, I noticed that all incoming employees were carrying their own water container.   “What’s the deal,” I asked my prisoner friend? I should have known the answer. Because the prison water was terrible. He said the nasty water not only had color but also had odor. Yet, that’s what prisoners were stuck with. Staff brought in fresh water.   It’s that way in many Michigan prisons, and yet our state does nothing about it. A couple years ago prisoners filed a class action suit in St. Louis, Michigan, because the water in that city’s two state prisons was contaminated. They should not have been surprised when they lost that case over some dumb argument. Prisoners are used to getting crapped on.   I’ve had reports most recently from the Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia about bad water. That’s the same prison where the MDOC Director and the warden proudly show off the Calvin University classroom project and the vocational job-training ...

  When you’re the Michigan Attorney General, somebody listens.   When you’re the founder of HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS, that same somebody says, “Doug, who?”   Case in point: the Michael Thompson story.   Thompson is one of hundreds of unfortunate prisoners in Michigan who have been over-sentenced. He got 42-60 years on drugs and weapons charges. That type of sentence prevents him from even seeing the state Parole Board until he has served the minimum number. He was 45 years of age when he was sentenced, so some judge determined that should not have a chance for parole until he was 87 years of age! Shameful.   Thompson is one of more than 4,000 Michigan prisoners who have contracted the COVID19 virus in recent weeks.   And, Thompson is one of more than 100 patients at the Duane L. Waters Health Center, a wannabe-hospital located in Jackson.   You get the picture, right? There are many prisoners in similar situations . Yet, wonder of wonders, ...

There was a day when I was pretty upset with a local area church.   Some years ago I had a meeting with a member of that church’s Missions Committee. A church member with a daughter in prison appreciated the assistance HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS had provided, and thought that perhaps his church might be willing to provide some financial support.   I made, what I thought was a meaningful and accurate presentation, about our “action with compassion.”   But, it wasn’t as effective as I had hoped. A few weeks later we were informed that the committee voted against supporting HFP. They felt the church should support only missions that “teach Jesus.”   I was quite offended by that. It’s like the old story of church missionaries going to foreign countries and preaching the gospel to starving people. What the starving people needed was food, not Bible lessons. Later, with stomachs full, perhaps they could start thinking about their souls.   You’ve heard my argumen...

The secret’s out. Now it’s time to share. HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS is no longer one of Michigan’s best-kept secrets.   When I started this outfit nearly 20 years ago, we not only had no eye on the future, but we didn’t even know where we were headed. We simply recognized that my prisoner friend/brother Maurice Carter insisted there should be an organization to help inmates, and someone had to make it happen.   Over the years we fine-tuned the name of the agency, as well as the work. Now, the word is out. Someone cares about the everyday needs and problems prisoners face, and is willing to help. The news is spreading like wildfire, and our team is struggling to keep up.   Here’s a glimpse at ways we try to aid Michigan prisoners:   -Help prisoners struggling with proper medical care or troubling medical questions; -Help prisoners file appropriate FOIA requests (Michigan is one of only a few states not permitting inmates to file their own queries under the Freedo...

Someone once labeled these as The Seven Last Words of the Church: “We never did it that way before!”   For years American penologists have been studying alternatives to incarceration, but I’m afraid the same philosophy is winning. We just can’t get past our penchant for using jails and prisons to “punish and deter.” Never mind how ineffective or inefficient the process.   When Roger Stone was sentenced to a federal prison earlier this year, even conservative Detroit News writer Nolan Finley joined my bandwagon : “Up to 39% of the 2 million Americans rotting away in prison cells shouldn't be there, according to  a report  by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.”   It makes me sick when I think of the number of people I’ve seen behind bars in the last two decades who were over-sentenced, who shouldn’t be there at all, or who could benefit themselves and society by serving a positive, alternative sentence.   Hear me out on alt...