Cages: No place for man nor beast!

"If you ask a child to draw a picture of a zoo, chances are they'll draw an animal behind bars. We gotta take that image and change it." Jim Breheny, Director, Bronx Zoo 

“If you ask someone to draw a picture of a prisoner, chances are they’ll draw a person behind bars. We gotta take that image and change it!” Doug Tjapkes, Founder, Humanity for Prisoners 

I’m thinking about my hero Dr. MLK this week, thinking about my incarcerated friends this week, and wishing I had the skill to craft my own “I Have a Dream” speech. 

I have a dream that here, in my favorite state, we might trash our present programs of punishment and retribution, and start thinking about humanity and rehabilitation for those persons who have made terrible mistakes. Just a quick note. Those individuals, also, were created in the image of God. Just a quick footnote. God loves them just as much as he loves you and me! 

I have a dream that Michigan chooses to end solitary confinement in its prisons, bringing us into full compliance with the UN’s Mandela Rules. 

I have a dream that we follow the example of Norway in doing our best to rehabilitate, instead of punish. 

(Norway's prison system has become a model for the rest of the world. Its recidivism rate is much lower and prisons are now safer and more peaceful. There are no large, centralized jails. Instead, Norway utilizes a system of small, community-based correctional facilities that focus on rehabilitation and reintegration into society.) 

I have a dream that Michigan imitate Norway by deciding that incarcerated individuals should be geographically close to their homes so they can maintain relationships with spouses, friends, and family. 

I have a dream that we build new facilities like those in Norway, where the prison has a fitness center, library, chapel, athletic fields, family visiting center, a school, and even a full recording studio…a building decorated in bright colors and original artwork.

I have a dream that we allow prisoners to have visitors up to three times per week, as well as conjugal visits, and a strong support system upon their release. 

I know the kind of criticism I’ll receive for this piece. Those of us on the outside, we’re the good people. Those on the inside, they’re the bad people. That’s exactly what I thought as a young person. 

An old man, I’m grateful that a wonderful Roman Catholic Priest taught me how to feel about these men and women: 

You stand with the belligerent, the surly and the badly behaved until bad behavior is recognized for the language it is: the vocabulary of the deeply wounded and of those whose burdens are more than they can bear. Fr. Greg Boyle

It may be idealistic, but I’m going to hang onto it! 

I have a dream!



Comments

MamaBear1961 said…
My grandson Estefan Rodolfo Hernandez Jr is currently an inmate at Michigan correctional facility in St. Louis, Michigan. There are many things that I don't agree that take place in this facility. One being that they removed a person's right to education if they receive an infraction. This is the one thing that he really excels in and looks forward to and is proud to do. And give him self-esteem. I really hope that your program can help him. We just found out about you through our grandson and he found out about you through someone at the prison. You truly are doing God's work. Bless you.
January 17, 2024 at 8:30 PM
MaryMargaret said…
Doug, I've often felt this about you. That you are a dreamer not afraid to share that dream with the women and men in our MI prison system. But most remarkably, that you are not afraid to share it with your sphere of influence outside the MI prison system.

You plant seeds well, my friend. And I must say, the seeds of discontent are God's gift to you. For when you receive negative comments it gives you an opportunity to engage in communication and further the work of solidarity and bridge building. Thus, nurturing the seeds you plant. A win-win. I do believe your ministry is divinely inspired. It is an honor to know and work with you in my small way.

Shalom,
MaryMargaret
January 18, 2024 at 2:46 PM
Marianne Teresa Ruud from Norway said…
Everything seems impossible until it's done. - Nelson Mandela
January 20, 2024 at 6:32 AM
Cindy Anderson said…
What Mary Margaret said! Keep dreaming Doug! You bring all of us along with you!
January 22, 2024 at 12:49 PM
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