I’ve been reading a book called Inside: Life Behind Bars In America. It was written by Michael G. Santos, who has been serving time in the Federal prison system for more than 2 decades. He was arrested in his early 20s for drug distribution. He’d had no prior arrests and had no gun charges or any type of violence associated with his drug charge. Still, he was sentenced to serve 45 years and was sent to a high security Federal prison.
Okay, first of all… 45 years for a first offense drug charge? How many years does a rapist serve? A child molester? I’m thinking our sentencing laws need a major overhaul.
I’ve read a lot about our “justice” and prison system. Most of it makes me wonder what the heck we’re doing. But this book sends that message home. We toss people in prison for years or even decades, treat them like excretement, then expect them to emerge “rehabilitated” and fit neatly back into society.
I’m not suggesting we coddle prisoners. But we don’t toss Pit Bulls into a fighting ring, then expect them to transform into lap dogs when they’re done. Why should we expect things to be different with humans?
I’m about 2/3 through Santos’ book. He’s well spoken and honest. Some of the the things in his book make my stomach twist. But we’re paying for these prisons with our tax dollars. We’re dealing with the consequences when these people get out. Shouldn’t we know what happens inside?
Today I have the pleasure of hosting Linda Asato. Linda began writing poetry at the age of nine and shared her poems daily with her Grade 3 teacher who supplied her with fancy notepaper on which to write them. Later, she took to writing short stories, and her teacher at that time mentioned to her parents that she had a unique way of viewing things from the other person’s perspective. 