My heart aches today with a hidden problem and for an extremely lonely man. It aches from “Christmas Pain”. “Rob” has experienced the “Christmas Pain” along with me.
On last Friday evening all dreams were dashed for “Rob”. Everything that he has hoped for over the past 7 years has come crashing down. In a small way my dreams with him and for him also tumbled into a heap of disappointment along with his. And it has all happened just days before Christmas.
“Rob” is an ex-offender that is now living in our community. Because of his crimes we still treat him as an Offender – it is not just… but we do that to protect ourselves. We distrust him because he is bad… or at least was bad. “Rob” is also sick and will likely die in the next year. His situation is growing worse each day as the sickness in him grows larger inside of his body.Together “Rob” and I have prepared some Christmas gifts over the past 4 months. His plan was to have them all done and then on a specially arranged trip he would deliver them to members of his family – his kids. Tomorrow was to have been that day.
On Friday evening the final word came that one of his family members, his wife, would not cooperate – and the trip will not happen. It is over for now. Her anger is too great. Her excuses were too easy. The pain that she could inflict was just right. She knew his hopes were high – and with one simple statement she shut it down – completely. Anger that will never leave is horrible.
“Rob” called me late on Friday and said in a low voice… “Murray it is all off. We can’t go to see my kids. I will have to wait.” The tone was flat and the sound of a defeated man came in short sentences – that told me hope had died.
For Alida, my wife, and myself we had hoped that this would bring some small joy to some children and to one man, “Rob”. As volunteers we give our time. And especially with our time at Christmas we try harder. This year instead of having a group of ex-offenders over to our home for Christmas – we concentrated on one man… and one day that we could bless him. Now it was over. And it hurt us as well as “Rob”.
Doing the right thing can hurt. Doing the right thing is something I hate doing at times… because it costs me in time and heart ache. I hate doing the right thing… because others don’t want to or simply won’t – because their anger is too great.
Now it is not my first time as a “do-gooder”. “Do-gooding” has been my specialty for a long time. I do it and then get blamed for being stupid. I do it and pour too much of me into something – then get burned or spurned.
But being a “do-gooder” places you close to where the pain is. It let’s you see how people hurt deeply. We use the politically kind expression – “volunteer” to cover “do-gooders” actions.
But it is not about me. It is about “Rob”. “Rob” did something really stupid and as a result he hasn’t seen his family for over 7 years. Crime split things up really bad. He has paid dearly for a stupid decision. But now it is over… but no… it isn’t.
I write today so that people like you will know what the hidden world of prison is about – at least a small part of that hidden world that you will never think about.
Today I ask you to think about these men and women in Prison – in Canada. Read the link given below from Prisonjustice.ca.
Stats bring this home…
In Canada at this time there are just about 14,000 men and women in our Federal Prison system. That is about 14,000 people that will not be home for Christmas again – maybe never. Add to that there are about 516 (in 2005/2006) that live in community correctional facilities. On top of that there are about 23,000 people in the Provincial Correctional 116 facilities. That is roughly 37,000 that will not be home to open gifts this year.
But in reality there are about 153,000 individuals under supervision in Correctional Service Agencies in Canada.
Cost of incarcerating a Federal prisoner (2004/5): $259.05 per prisoner/per day
Cost of incarcerating a Federal female prisoner (2004/5): $150,000-$250,000 per prisoner/per year
Cost of incarcerating a Federal male prisoner (2004/5): $87,665 per prisoner/per year
Cost of incarcerating a provincial prisoner (2004/5): $141.78: per prisoner/per day
The cost of alternatives such as probation, bail supervision and community supervision range from $5-$25/day.
Now add in a few “Prison People Unions” demands to the above totals, cost of living increases, demands by staffers… and the figures that every man, woman and child in Canada bears because of these people not being home for Christmas – it is staggering!
Using a rough average of $90,000 (averaging the cost of men and women in prison each year) multiplied by 14,000 that are actually in prison = $1,260,000,000 EACH YEAR. Read that again - $1 Billion, 260 Million dollars in 365 days. Only about $42 per Canadian/per year – man, woman and child in you family! If you have four in your family Federal Prison costs you $168 each year…but that is every year since you were born!
NOW ADD one more figure… there are at least one angry Victim per one offender – hurting in the community somewhere. When “their man” went to prison and is well looked after for “X” number of years – their lives stopped and were over in most cases. However in most cases it is not just one person, there are parents, brothers and sisters, a spouse and many kids that suffer – BIG TIME!
In “Rob’s” situation that number is about a dozen… with the immediate hurt involving 5.
Let’s use “Rob’s” family as an example and apply it to everyone… that is 14,000 X 5 = 70,000 Victims & people affected by the crime… that is for just one year – that will never open Christmas gifts the same way again!!!!
I am not sure that I can pull it off – but maybe I can get “Rob” to come over for some Christmas with us. “Rob” isn’t going anywhere this year – again. He is back in his “cell” – a small room in our community – waiting and waiting and waiting…
Why bother…? Why bother writing about it…? Because I care is my final answer. And when “Christmas Pain” comes again – like a plague… someone has to do something.
~ Murray Lincoln ~
Sources:
http://www.prisonjustice.ca/politics/facts_stats.html
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/09/Canadian_incarceration_rate_up_2_percent/UPI-47101228836810/
No comments:
Post a Comment