Don’t lock us up and forget us

I am writing this in response to Maura Ubinger’s Dec. 22 letter.  I must say thank you, thank you! I am a federal inmate. Ms. Ubinger’s letter stated, "Most people generally don’t think about the fact that a lot of recidivism is caused because rehabilitation programs do not exist within the prison while people are incarcerated."

Not only is that true, but who wants to hire a felon? That’s what everyone thinks to themselves, and that’s all the thought we get next to "don’t call us, we’ll call you"!

There are some programs in prison to help us learn "skills of trades." However, if we want a degree, we must pay for college courses or correspondence classes. How are we to afford tuition for classes with the "jobs" that we are so lucky to have in prison that earn us $20 a month? Most inmates can’t even get a little encouragement, let alone money for commissary and educational programs.

When we don’t have support from the free world, it makes it impossible for us to get education for careers. It makes us bitter, hurt, upset, sad and depressed. I’m not just speaking of monetary support; we need letters, cards or a phone call of encouragement.

When we have support, whether from pen pals, family or strangers, it gives up hope – the want and drive to do better. Without it, we are basically doomed. To begin to stop recidivism, it has to start with support from the free world. We need to know that we are cared for and someone actually believes in us!

We are from all walks of life. Many of us have been abused and our actions are reactions to pain, our defense mechanisms and survival. Teach us a better way. Show us, tell us we can do it, that we are somebody. We only know what we’ve been told or shown. Help change laws to help inmates, and for the love of God, stop locking us up and throwing away the key and forgetting! We are human, our hearts do feel pain, and we yearn for acceptance.

Lisa Casey
Tallahassee, Fla.
(formerly of Abingdon, Va.)