Life Line – A Wonderful Happening in Canada

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Today’s Blog Post

Life Line – A Wonderful Happening in Canada
The man that sat with me yesterday afternoon is a “Lifer” – meaning he has taken someone’s life. He explained how he is presently helping one young man that is also a “Lifer” make it through his prison sentence. My new friend’s name is ‘John’.

‘John’ explained after he personally received a Life Sentence and entered prison, he had met a man that was also a Lifer. This man had helped him integrate to Prison Life. Then through a strange set of circumstances the new friend that had helped him escaped from prison (the details I leave out here).

‘John’ now lives on the outside of prison successfully and goes back in to help other Lifers adjust and cope with their Life Sentence. One of the “Lifers” that ‘John’ is helping is the son of the first man to help ‘John’. The father produced a son that had become a Lifer as well.

This story shared with me by my new friend had an impact on my life. A man in trouble that found help from help from another man in trouble, now helping the son of the man that helped him. Through the tragic loss of life(actually at least three lives) the power of Relationships in changing society from inside out.

WOW! This is everything that I believe in.

We are just completing a very interesting conference in Ottawa entitled “Creating Better Relations” – Community Relations National Conference. I can say I have never been to something like this before. The power and effect on my life and the people that I work with in my community back home will be far reaching to say the least.

I should explain that at home, in Peterborough, I am involved with men coming from Prison. Sometime the involvement is direct and other times it is with programs that help men coming from Prison.

The conference was designed for people like myself that are doing similar work in their respective communities. It has brought us together to share what each of us are doing and in that way we perhaps glean new ideas from each other and the communities that we come from.

Right now I have so many new ideas that I will need to stay alive for another 35 years to try them all. And I have another day to walk through more new ideas – which could add another 35 years to the list….Yikes I will be 135 years before I can die!

Back to Life Line…
As I read the Web Site that more fully explains the Life Line program it states…
“Lifers helping Lifers
A partnership of motivated offenders, involved staff and supportive citizens

LifeLine is a partnership between the Correctional Service of Canada, the National Parole Board and voluntary, community-based agencies.

LifeLine is a correctional concept involving convicted, but paroled, men and women serving life sentences who have been successfully reintegrated into the community for at least five years. They return to an institution where they help develop programs for lifers; help motivate offenders; help offenders reintegrate; and contribute to public safety.”

In 1964 Canada we took a radical stance and abandoned Capital Punishment. We don’t take the life of someone that has taken a life. The Web Site explains…
“Canada abandoned capital punishment in 1964 and commuted all death sentences to life imprisonment. In 1976 the death penalty was removed from the Criminal Code of Canada and replaced by life imprisonment with no consideration of parole for 10 to 25 years. Thus, Canada was faced with a growing number of lifers being incarcerated for much longer periods.”

“Today, about 4300 offenders are serving life sentences. Of this number, one-third are under parole supervision in the community for the rest of their lives, while the remaining two-thirds are serving their sentence in an institution.

The inmate population of life sentenced and indeterminate male offenders has increased by 38% since 1990. These offenders make up 21% of all inmates.”

With about 1000 Lifers living in the many different communities across Canada they are now having an impact in a new way.

As I listened to the different accounts and programs I heartily agree. It is about Relations we have with our community.

In Peterborough we have men that have been in prison helping men that have been in prison. Some are Lifers and some are not. All of them understand each other.

A powerful but quiet group in Peterborough that facilitates and guides this “relation building” in the Peterborough Community Chaplaincy (see Web Site listed below for more info).

Double WOW! I can’t wait to get home. I am about to explode with new ideas.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
All about Lifers
http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/prgrm/lifeline/w6-eng.shtml
Peterborough Community Chaplaincy
http://www.ptbochaplaincy.org/