Fairness for Prisoners' Families
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Fairness for Prisoners' Families
Reaching Out To Families
WJCL ABC News
January 11, 2006
Locking up those who break the law is one solution to reducing crime. How to keep those who are paroled from prison from returning to crime is another issue.
One advocacy group is helping families get their loved ones back into a legal way of living. The group called Fairness for Prisoners' Families is a [four]-year old program. They say crime is a community issue; to get to the heart, you need to go to the family.
Jackie Draper-Saunders has not had a real Sunday dinner with either of her two sons in about 10 years. That's because they're both in prison. Draper-Saunders is one of a half dozen people attending the Fairness for Prisoners' Families meeting held this evening.
'There are a lot of emotions that are surrounded when you have a loved one that's incarcerated," said Draper-Saunders. "You go through all different kinds of emotions. As a parent I'm here to learn more about what's going on with the system so I can help other people."
Fairness began as an advocacy group to help those with loved ones in jail. [Coordinator] Renee Lewis says now they're focusing on those being paroled. With crime prevention on everyone's minds, Lewis says talking with the families is the first step.
"Taking a major part in stepping up and becoming a part of the organization is a major, major step in changing things that happen to people that are incarcerated," said Lewis. "Because they do have their rights and are eligible for their human rights."
Draper-Saunders says she's glad she found this program. She says crime seems to be on the rise everywhere. With one of her sons possibly getting out of jail, she wants to make sure he gets into a better life.
"We've got to, as parents, as adults, as society," said Draper-Saunders. "We've got to reach out and see what's the root cause of the things going on in their lives so we can be able to nip the crime in the bud, because there's a reason for everything that's going on."
Fairness has a chapter in Savannah and in Atlanta and includes about 3,000 members.
The next meeting will be February 15th at 6:30 pm on Bull Street.
For more information call (404) 681-5576.
In November Fairness launched their campaign Operation Open Book. According to their findings Georgia has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, with 1 in 15 adults behind bars, [on probation, or on parole].
