Need Words of Strength Now More Than Ever!

[Elsi]

Toomanytears, sending big hugs. I am glad he made it home on the flight and has accepted the plea deal. It sounds like he is accepting responsibility and facing his future as well as could be expected. This has to be a very hard thing for him. I hope that everything goes smoothly over the next few weeks.

there are pre-release programs which start 6 to 12 mo before the final release date. These transfer the inmate closer to home and may include release time for work hours if they can find a job.

N did a program like this, and it was really good for him. We also were able to have real visits, see each other face to face and hug each other instead of through glass. I treasured that time. That’s when he made plans for his future.

I know prisons are more focused on punishment than rehab, but I do believe that there are opportunities for growth and redemption in unlikely places for people who are open to them and look for them. I don’t know anything about the prison your son will go to, but where my son was there was some educational and spiritual programming available. And some were able to take correspondence courses. And there was a library, and I was allowed to send books and letters. I poured my heart out in each letter I sent with a book. N came out a changed man, less angry and more humble, more open to looking for ways to atone and move forward. I pray for the same for your son.

 

[Toomanytears]

Toomanytears, sending big hugs. I am glad he made it home on the flight and has accepted the plea deal. It sounds like he is accepting responsibility and facing his future as well as could be expected. This has to be a very hard thing for him. I hope that everything goes smoothly over the next few weeks.



N did a program like this, and it was really good for him. We also were able to have real visits, see each other face to face and hug each other instead of through glass. I treasured that time. That’s when he made plans for his future.

I know prisons are more focused on punishment than rehab, but I do believe that there are opportunities for growth and redemption in unlikely places for people who are open to them and look for them. I don’t know anything about the prison your son will go to, but where my son was there was some educational and spiritual programming available. And some were able to take correspondence courses. And there was a library, and I was allowed to send books and letters. I poured my heart out in each letter I sent with a book. N came out a changed man, less angry and more humble, more open to looking for ways to atone and move forward. I pray for the same for your son.

Good morning.. we have been down this road before. Sorry to say, many times.

If all goes as planned, he will go to the processing center for the state which is very close to our home. Then he will be transferred at a undesignated time (most occur in the middle of the night) to an undesignated destination. He will be permitted to call once he arrives there safely. That is when we will know his location. His “home” prison.

In the eyes of the defendant, a state prison sentence is much more tolerable than a county sentence. As previously stated in the comments, county is through glass. State allows physical contact (brief hugs, snacks, longer visitation time) which is A HUGE deal when incarcerated and for the family.
Re: our grandson ( he will be 9 in Feb).. we went to court to be granted permission to take him when he was much younger (3 -4 yrs old). I can honestly say we will not do that again. He’s is now more impressionable and we told his Dad from the get-go upon returning home last time, we cannot or will not spend the funds to do that again. That is something he will have to get permission from his ex to do. He loves his Daddy. It feels heartless for me to write this, but I just can’t do it again.

He will have opportunities to possibly work towards a degree BUT his sentence may not be long enough. Smh. That’s the “ kicker”.

He has ALWAYS done extremely well when in a super structured setting. We get along better. He. Is. Sober.

Our biggest immediate worry.. I believe his also.. his long use of prescribed MAT treatment, Suboxone. He has tried to get off of it this past year. All documentation states he is a candidate for long term use ( already 13+ years) - can his body take the withdraw?
Will he survive the detox? We have begged him to get off of it prior to coming back, through a reputable detox program but he left 3 days into it twice. Smh again.

I guess I’m putting the cart before the horse. FIRST is the hearing in a couple of days. We will see how that all unfolds. If allowed to leave the courthouse, next will be keeping him grounded to ACCEPT what is. That will be the challenge for us all.

 

[Copabanana]

his long use of prescribed MAT treatment, Suboxone.

I cannot comment on this in any medical sense but only anecdotally. I worked in prisons mostly reception centers over a period of 25 years in mental health/psychiatry. I would guess that 80 to 95 percent of the men (mostly men's prisons) entered jail/prison with some sort of substance abuse/dependency. The major part of the medical staff's responsibility is to monitor their withdrawal and to treat illnesses that have gone untreated as a cause of lifestyle.

Honestly. Prisons cannot be in the business of letting people die indiscriminately. If they do they will be beset by tremendous lawsuits like my own state, which was in Federal receivership for decades, as a cause of neglect. These prisoners have a constitutional right to healthcare commensurate to the population at large. They are dependents of the state and the state cannot neglect them, and if they do it is at the state's peril.

What I am trying to say is that withdrawal in prison is uncomfortable and difficult, but I did not hear of more than this. Even from the men. And that is with speaking to thousands.

Please do not think I am indifferent to suffering much less advocating for or justifying their suffering. What I am trying to do is to let you know that prisons in my state at least cannot be in the business of letting people suffer to the point of death or catastrophe. Because if they do the consequences are dire. There is a bottom line. Most people who enter prison are safer inside than they were out.

 

[Triedntrue]

My son is also facing prison time very soon at this point in time I can only offer my prayers to both of us.

 

[Toomanytears]

My son is also facing prison time very soon at this point in time I can only offer my prayers to both of us.

I do offer my prayers to all inclusively.. no matter where the addict is on their journey..OR the parent/family. The pain and anguish supersede all other obstacles that life has personally dealt to me. It’s a journey I wish no others to have to travel. (((Hugs))) to
you all...

 

[Toomanytears]

I cannot comment on this in any medical sense but only anecdotally. I worked in prisons mostly reception centers over a period of 25 years in mental health/psychiatry. I would guess that 80 to 95 percent of the men (mostly men's prisons) entered jail/prison with some sort of substance abuse/dependency. The major part of the medical staff's responsibility is to monitor their withdrawal and to treat illnesses that have gone untreated as a cause of lifestyle.

Honestly. Prisons cannot be in the business of letting people die indiscriminately. If they do they will be beset by tremendous lawsuits like my own state, which was in Federal receivership for decades, as a cause of neglect. These prisoners have a constitutional right to healthcare commensurate to the population at large. They are dependents of the state and the state cannot neglect them, and if they do it is at the state's peril.

What I am trying to say is that there is that the withdrawal is uncomfortable and difficult, but I did not hear of more than this. Even from the men. And that is with speaking to thousands.

Please do not think I am indifferent to suffering much less advocating for or justifying their suffering. What I am trying to do is to let you know that prisons in my state at least cannot be in the business of letting people suffer to the point of death or catastrophe. Because if they do the consequences are dire. There is a bottom line. Most people who enter prison are safer inside than they were out.

Thank you. I am aware of the responsibility of the court/prison system but there is that little voice that whispers in my ear “ what if”...
Your words have helped me.

 

[Smithmom]

With all today's technology its so sad to me that they can't find a way to arrange continued contact between parent and child beyond letters. Eg skype from prison to lawyer office, psychologist office, supervised visitation center, etc. I say this because sadly illiteracy abounds in prisons. Its easy to say that they can write but between buying paper, pen and stamps and illiteracy its not as easy as it sounds. Finding volunteers to sit in on these skype calls has to be easier than finding volunteers for the other options.

 

[elizabrary]

With all today's technology its so sad to me that they can't find a way to arrange continued contact between parent and child beyond letters. Eg skype from prison to lawyer office, psychologist office, supervised visitation center, etc. I say this because sadly illiteracy abounds in prisons. Its easy to say that they can write but between buying paper, pen and stamps and illiteracy its not as easy as it sounds. Finding volunteers to sit in on these skype calls has to be easier than finding volunteers for the other options.

In some prisons there are programs in which the incarcerated parents read books to their kids through Skype and their kids read to them. It's a win-win as it promotes literacy and creates family time for the kids with their parents. It would be fantastic if that program is available at the prison your son goes to. If not, you might contact the library in the county/city where he is located and see if they are interested in starting such a program.

 

[Copabanana]

sad to me that they can't find a way to arrange continued contact between parent and child beyond letters.

Telephone calls from prison to outside is a huge business. Loved ones of Incarcerated prisoners pay a fortune of money for their people to call them. I do not know how the financial arrangement works between the communications company and departments of corrections, but I would assume there are millions of dollars that change hands, which is a huge disincentive to allow in other, better, more humane means of communication.

I am unaware of lawsuits in this area but I would think that this is a free speech issue. That the Constitution would protect the rights of prisoners and their families in particular to have a mechanism to speak to each other, and that to deprive this (by making such communication onerous and exceptionally costly) would be, should be a transgression of individual rights on a collective scale. I will try to remember to look into this, to see what kinds of class action lawsuits have been pursued about this.

 

[Copabanana]

Well. That was quick and easy:

The phone company Global Tel*Link Corp. (GTL), which provides service to 1.1 million inmates in jails across the United States, was hit with a proposed class action lawsuit June 12. Lead plaintiffs Jacqueline Mills Jacobs, Gregory William Jacobs and Arron Jacobs allege GTL has participated in unlawful conduct for years, including unfair rates for phone services and providing correctional facilities with kickbacks for contracting through them. They are seeking more than $5 million in damages on behalf of themselves and all potential Class Members.

The plaintiffs claim that without a competitive market to constrain prices, “nmates are literally a captive market for GTL.” The Jacobs Family claims GTL charged up to 100 times the normal market rate for inmates to make intrastate telephone calls. The GTL lawsuit states that “families of incarcerated individuals often pay significantly more to receive a single 15 minute call from prison than for their basic monthly phone service.”

 

[Triedntrue]

Wow that is one of the ones where i live. However at one jail skype is offered.

 

[Copabanana]

I would guess that 80 to 95 percent of the men (mostly men's prisons) entered jail/prison with some sort of substance abuse/dependency.

I just checked the numbers: (substance use, dependence and sales is a factor in the incarceration of) 85 percent of the U.S. prison population, according to the report, “Behind Bars II, Substance Abuse and America’s Prison Population.”

And approximately 80 percent of crimes across the board are related to substance abuse or dependence.

 

[Smithmom]

Yes the rates for phone calls from prisons are onerous. First I've heard of technology in prison. Not sure that I'd call it a free speech issue though.

The issue is giving prisoners the ability to commit crimes. Anything from harrassment to conspiracy to theft. Prisons really do have way too much already to monitor. After all, we all know that cell phones, drugs, etc are available inside. If the world can't stop computer viruses and so forth outside....

Sad thing is that there is no computer literacy in prison. So on release the learning curve for technology is huge and another problem getting a job.

 

[Smithmom]

About those stats Copa, I don't know that those stats separate non-users from users, violent offenses from non- violent, etc. I say that because, eg I know of a "drug ring" that are in prison for selling millions and millions of $ drugs, importing it, transporting to other states, etc and none of them used. Murders over drug territory, just so many I know that while they might fall into that stat might not be something I would say was primarily caused by addiction.

For those not familiar with the point system I mentioned, type of drug matters as does quantity of drug. So marijuana possession lower points than my heroin addict possessing heroin. "Personal use" possession less than huge quantity. But the point system is about sentencing time.

 

[BusynMember]

Copa...not that a small jail is a great example, but, as you know, my daughter is a Corrections Officer. Although I totally believe your stats, it is even worse in certain jails. Maybe smaller ones.

My daughter gets to know all the prisoners in the jail and why they are there and 100 per cent of those there right now are in for drug related crimes. Many are in for robbery related to addiction....or assault. Some are addicts who are dealing.

At least in this jail, drugs make it inside and the workers all wear gloves in case of Fentynol.

Very sadly one suicide and one overdose have happened so far since my daughter was hired. There aren't enough people to watch everyone. Many people are unable to do the job.

It is a very sad situation. It really upsets my daughter but she actually likes the job. But she sees many sad things.

 

[Smithmom]

Yes SWOT. Remember co- morbidity of sub abuse and mental illness. So of those she sees probably more than 75% have untreated mental illness whuch the jail is not even looking for. And without the subs the illness is now at the surface.

 

[BusynMember]

Smithsmom, yes. It is a pity that our mental health treatment ??? has become mostly jail.

This is a blight on the compassion of our country in my opinion.