Humanity for Prisoners

Writer Bankole Thompson’s column in Monday’s Detroit News struck a chord with me.   “ No matter what side you sit on in the war with Iran, the skyrocketing gas prices, which have hit $6 in some parts of the country, are affecting everyone .”   He went on to say that among the hardest hit are those persons living on fixed incomes. That leads me to my discussion today, because I’m guessing that many families of incarcerated men and women may not be on fixed income, but very likely are in the low-to-mid income bracket.   That got me to thinking about prison visits and how seriously gas prices will unquestionably affect visitation. Studies have shown that prison visits not only strengthen family bonds, providing emotional support to inmates, but also aid in the rehabilitation process and reduce recidivism rates.   First, let’s consider the remote locations of some of our prisons.   We have a number of correctional facilities in the Upper Peninsula. For fam...

In November I’ll turn 90! I suppose it’s natural, then, that my thoughts about death increase, along with my age.   Like many of you, I’ve experienced death of loved ones over the years: grandparents, parents, in-laws, a sister, a spouse. But that is not what's on my mind these days. For the past three decades I have been working with men and women who live behind bars. As the founder of HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS it has been my goal to produce an annual memorial service for those persons who died in custody in the previous year. Here in Michigan, that number can range from 130 – 200.   This year that proposed service is finally going to become a reality! An HFP committee is diligently working to make it happen.   As I research the topic and compile materials for such a service, I am especially saddened by the number of men and women who have no family or friends at the time of death. Last year, for example, no one claimed the remains of 32 prisoners. With no fanfare, n...

As a widower who lives alone, I mess around a bit in the kitchen. Frankly, my kids top my cooking abilities, but I assure you that I love good food and I eat well.   One of my favorite TV shows is Diners, Drive-ins and Dives . A recent article about this program pointed out that producer Guy Fieri has been in every state. That led me to dig a little deeper. One of the places he especially liked in Pure Michigan was a joint in Lansing: Eastside Fish Fry & Grill.   It’s not your typical restaurant. When you go to Eastside for chicken or fish, they’ll fry or grill your selection, OR you can take it home to cook yourself.   After visiting Eastside, Guy Fieri concluded: “The prices are fair, the portions are generous, and the flavor is unforgettable!”   But that’s not what caught my attention.   The founder and owner of this unique eatery is Henry Meyer, and he’s an ex-felon! Henry got a second chance to turn over a new leaf, and he now employs and trai...

Do you remember that phrase in U.S. history?   It dates back to May,1844, when Samuel Morse (the man credited with developing the Morse Code) sent a telegram from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore, Maryland. The message: “What hath God wrought?” It was the very first long-distance telegraph dispatch. The quote was based on a Biblical phrase in the book of Numbers: “See what God has done.” That milestone is often credited with revolutionizing communication. I’ve been thinking about that phrase all weekend.   It began after I attended, via Zoom, the quarterly meeting of the HUMANINT FOR PRISONERS Board of Directors.   I got to thinking back to the day when this all got started.   As a middle-income white man living in an all-white community, I knew very little about prisons and incarceration. But, my dear friend Maurice Carter, an indigent Black man sitting behind bars for a crime he did not commit, encouraged me to do something. He was convinced that an agency s...

The New York Times is changing my mind.   It’s no secret that I was not pleased when the Michigan Department of Corrections adopted a new mail policy whereby residents of our state prisons could no longer receive original letters and cards from friends and loved ones. Instead, prison staffers would open the mail, photocopy the card or letter, and destroy the original. Later, explaining that the state was dealing with some drug issues, the department extended the policy to include legal mail. And that’s when I complained.   “Constitutional violation,” I cried. “A violation of attorney/client confidentiality!”   Then, last month, I learned of a special report from the New York Times about a nationwide drug problem in prisons. NYT team-members conducted a sweeping investigation that started at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. The conclusion: A means of drug abuse in jails and prisons all around the country now looks an awful lot like office supplies! Reporters Azam Ah...

Having spent nearly 30 years in the broadcasting industry, I have a great appreciation for a good business slogan. Big companies pay big dollars to advertising agencies to come up with something that people remember.   A few examples:   On jewelry: Diamonds are forever On soda pop: The pause that refreshes On coffee: Good to the last drop On fried chicken: Finger-lickin’ good On automobiles: Let’s go places On cigarettes: Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.   One of the very first slogans I can remember did not promote a product. It promoted a standard for living. AI is telling me that this slogan dates back to the 50s and 60s. AI is wrong. Its origin goes back at least to the 1940s. Those were the summers that I attended the YMCA’s Camp Pendalouan on Big Blue Lake in Muskegon County.   I never forgot the campground slogan: I’m Third! Time and again the counselors and the camp director reminded us: God first, the other fella second, I’m t...

Decades ago I was asked to host a national memorial service that honored fallen members of the United States Coast Guard. Every summer the birthday of the Coast Guard is officially observed in a huge event called the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival. Our harbor is filled with Coast Guard Ships, and mega crowds come here for parades, concerts, food, carnival rides, art exhibits and more.   Many Coast Guard officials, as well as local leaders, have commented that this meaningful memorial service, held at the city’s Escanaba Park on the bank of the Grand River, is a festival highlight.   What a thrill to serve as the emcee! Following a welcome to the large crowd attending the outdoor ceremony, I read the name of every person who died in the line of duty in the previous 12 months, as a bell tolled. That was followed by the symbolic ritual of placing a wreath at the waterfront park’s memorial plaque. Fitting music was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard Band. In conclusion, a fire...

I work with people who are incarcerated. That’s one reason why today is so special for me. Today is a feast day for the Roman Catholic Church, as it   observes The Memorial of St. Dismas . And by now many of you are asking, “Who the heck is St. Dismas? Why does that have any meaning for Doug, a protestant?   Well, a little background here.   The season of Lent reaches its peak on Good Friday when Jesus was put to death, and then on Easter when he conquered death.   The St. Dismas story occurs on Good Friday when two crooks were also hanging on crosses, right beside Jesus. So here you had one man, wrongly convicted, and two guys with really bad records…probably guilty of rebellion or treason!   The three of them on this hill in an area called Golgotha.   Here’s how St. Luke tells it: ""One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: 'Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!' But the other criminal rebuked him. 'Don't you fear God,...

I don’t write 700-word essays very often, but I choose to do so today in memory of a dear friend. I witnessed his death on March 20, 19 years ago. Seeing someone take final breaths is not an unusual experience. Many people have been at the bedside of a friend or loved one for precious final moments. No, that isn’t the way this happened. I was behind a window at the State of Texas’ death chamber. I watched the state take the life of my friend Charles Anthony Nealy. He would have been 43 if he had lived three days longer. It’s a long story, but worth re-telling as a reminder that capital punishment is sinister and evil and wrongful convictions are real. The year was 2002, just 12 months after I had founded a little organization called INNOCENT…an agency that later became HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. A support group for Mr. Nealy in England had contacted me for assistance. It was a sad story. Anthony had been found guilty of murder by a Texas jury in 1998 in, what the Dallas Morning Ne...

  “…forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us” Matthew 6:12   I memorized the Lord’s Prayer when I was a little tyke. Sometimes my mom and dad would ask me to recite it before our meal at suppertime. Little did I know, back then, what Jesus was talking about here. And, I suspect that, even now, when we race through that prayer we pay little attention to this powerful statement.   Let’s face it. Forgiveness isn’t easy!   I’m struggling with that right now. An acquaintance has screwed up royally and, in doing so, burned nearly all of his bridges. I must just forgive?   As an old news writer and a news junkie, however, I’m heartened by some of the stories I read.   For example, in recent days there was a sad story in the news. 5 teenagers in Georgia were going to TP their teacher’s home. The instructor, however, learned of the plot and thought it would be fun to catch them in the act. But, the scared kids fled in their ...

We have numerous prison problems in Michigan…some that require difficult solutions. But it doesn’t take a brilliant scholar to figure this one out!   Here’s the deal.   Michigan prisons spend roughly 15% of their $2.1 billion budget on healthcare, especially driven by the aging population. As of today, our state prison population stands at about 32,250.   Now let’s focus on that “aging population.”   Here in Michigan we have nearly 1,000 prisoners between the ages of 70 and 80, and another 129 who are 80 and older ! The margin of incarcerated men and women over 60 years of age in Michigan totals 3.5%, as compared to the national average of 1-2%. Just imagine the dollars that could be saved by reducing this segment of our prison population!   My friend “Big Ben,” now 76 years of age, has been in prison for 52 years! He’s elderly, kind and gentle. Do you honestly believe that he and others like him, aged 70-90, might reoffend? Give me a break!   It ...

March 1, 2026. HFP’s award-winning documentary--- WRONGED: THE MAURICE CARTER STORY---was scheduled for a screening as part of the Lake Michigan Film Festival in Okemos, Michigan. Immediately following the showing of our film, another powerful documentary--- MICHIGAN VISITS MATTER: THE FAMILY COST OF INCARCERATION, commissioned by CPR, was to be shown. HFP founder Doug Tjapkes and CPR founder Lois Pullano would be in attendance.   It was no surprise that, when the two of us met in the lobby of Studio C: Meridian Mall theater, we threw our arms around each other   Many people know my story. I’m a small market radio newsman whose life was changed in the 1990s upon meeting an indigent Black man sitting in the Michigan prison system and claiming wrongful conviction. That led to a 9-year fight to obtain his freedom. Maurice Carter and I became brothers! As a result of that experience, I started a little one-man operation now known as HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS. Today, however, ...

  It was a 90-minute session filled with horror stories. Then came the headlines:   Mistreatment, mold alleged at women’s prison--- Detroit News   Bipartisan outrage erupts at House hearing on conditions inside Michigan’s only women’s prison--- Detroit Metro-Times   House Oversight Committee demands answers on mold, safety concerns at Huron Valley prison facility--- Michigan Advance   ‘Infested with Mold’ and Suicide Bets: Inside Michigan’s Women’s Prison Horror Show--- Hoodline   Women's Prison Called 'Michigan's Death Sentence'   --- Michigan Information and Research Service, Inc.   Lawmaker says Michigan treats its women prisoners worse than animals--- Detroit Free Press   And that’s just a sampling. All of this in response to a hearing this week conducted by the state legislature’s House Oversight Committee. The focus was on complaints of alleged problems at Women’s Huron Valley, Michigan’s only prison for women, located in ...