David deserved better! So do many others!

David was more than an HFP client. He was a dear friend, and I miss him. It’s a sad story. 

I first met this kind, soft-spoken man shortly after the formation of HFP in 2001, back in the days when our organization was still called INNOCENT. Because of that name, his parents contacted me to explain his case. I will not delve into the legal aspects of this story now. I will only state that we had proof that he had been wrongly convicted. 

18 years later, while serving time in one of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula correctional facilities. David became ill. It was apparent that this was no common cold. David had pneumonia, and the Michigan Department of Corrections determined that the nearby hospital wasn’t capable of handing this situation. 

So, here’s the first shameful step the department took. It piled him into a van, while literally dying, and transported David 160 miles to another UP prison for supposedly improved hospital care! No one will ever know how much this move contributed to his demise. 

Anyway, David was admitted at a nearby hospital, and was shackled to his bed. One never knows whether dying prisoners like this might escape. 

His parents were notified of the seriousness of his condition and immediately made plans to travel from Grand Rapids to Marquette, a 400-mile trip, so they could be near their son in his final hours. Special visitation permission was granted. 

Then came still another shameful chapter. In those days, if it was determined that if the condition of a dying prisoner unexpectedly improved, the special visitation permission would be retracted. And that’s exactly what happened. A medical professional felt that David showed slight improvement overnight. His parents were denied a re-visit and were sent home. 

The next day David died. He was 58. 

I’m proud to say that HFP raised hell, and that resulted in some policy changes. That didn’t bring my friend back to life. 

Well, that was just the first of many sad death and dying stories that our compassionate staff have dealt with over the past 2 decades. And that helps explain why death and dying are a topic for our yearly film festival. 

Upon the observance of the 25th anniversary of Humanity for Prisoners, our team invites you to the annual Voices of Humanity event on October 1. Yes, the topic is death and dying, and yes, it is darned important! 

The poignant story of incarcerated men taking care of a dying friend will be told in a powerful, award-winning documentary:  Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall.  

There’s still time to register. 

I hope to see you there! 

"A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones—and its jails are a faithful reflection of that." — Nelson Mandela

 

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