Fairness for Prisoners' Families
What Fairness members have been saying...
Members of Fairness for Prisoners' Families are the best resource on finding out what the program is all about. Here are some comments from a few members, posted by permission from the Fairness listserve. Click here to join the listserve.
Also, click here for examples of some of the questions that are asked, and answered, on the listserve.
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I just wanted to thank everyone for telling me what diagnostics is. Thank you for all your support, I can't tell you how much it means to me to have others to talk to who understand and don't judge when the people you think will be there for you aren't. God bless all of you.
Ann
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Hi, everyone!
Today has been a bad day. A very bad day... But when I came home to read my e-mails (all from you guys) I can't help but to smile (and my eyes well up with tears) and I feel better. Your encouragement, compassion and caring hearts are incredible to me. Today I was told a very ugly and racist and hateful comment. You know what, I don't care what color you are. Or what your loved one did to be put in prison. Or what religion you believe is right. I love you all anyway. I haven't even met any of you, except Sara, and you are a very important part of my life. Even when my husband gets out of prison, I will continue to be part of this group. I probably don't help much, but you help me more than you'll ever realize! I want to thank Sara, as well as everyone else, for their hard work of being the mouths for those who can't speak out. EVERYONE'S determination and heart is all so appreciated. I thank God for people like you. And I will pray for those who judge me and you. I wish you all the best and may God bless you! And keep your head held up high, we have precious husbands, wives, sons, daughters, aunts and uncles who need and love us dearly.
Thanks for your attention,
Tiffany
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My name is Karen. I spent two years incarcerated, one at the county and another at Metro State Prison. I have a medical condition, so I experienced the medical care first-hand that the system has to offer...and I survived! I was only paroled 3 months before my max-out date on a non-violent crime, first time incarcerated, because of a typographical error by the PAP. It all served it's purpose, though, because I met some very special ladies
who I love dearly and miss greatly. I learned a lot from my experience and could not walk away unaffected. I thank God for each and every one of you - I learn so much from this group which enables me to be of help to those I left behind. I enjoyed meeting those of you who were able to come to the Phillips Family Reunion!! Thank you for having me. I am determined that something good and worthwhile come from my bad experiences, and you all help me make that possible.
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I’ve been thinking for a while that it would be cool for everyone who is still with us to briefly post who we are and what’s up. I know there are many new members and many folks who watch the list but rarely post. The Phillips Reunion was so cool that it motivated me to ask everyone to join in an “online reunion” of sorts. No pressure, just say as much or as little as you please…I’ll go first:
I’m Camille and I live in ---, Ga. I’ve been “in the system” nearly six years. Mal, my significant other, was paroled this past March after doing 20 years on a life sentence. Doing time was extremely difficult and at times, suffocating. I learned that the best way for me to cope was to walk in faith and focus on advocating for systemic change, not only for Mal and myself, but for the entire system. It was and continues to be a daunting task, but a battle I suspect I’ll never be able to put down.
If I had to choose one issue that I think is the most important, I think I would have to say that it would be the necessity for us to be active in the political arena. Prisoner’s families need to rally, lift our voices in unison to candidates and those officials elected to serve. We are an untapped constituency, huge in numbers and powerful in unity. There is strength in numbers, and we are tens of thousands…
When I focused on myself and the problems that I had while Mal was incarcerated, I felt isolated and defeated. When I put our situation in God’s hands and asked Him to show me how I could serve others, I received strength I never knew I had. Doors opened that I had to walk through, although I was taken way out of my comfort zone. I have met many wonderful people on this journey, and am blessed to be part of the Fairness Family.
I look forward to hearing from everyone! Please remember to reply to the entire group.
Take Care,
Camille
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This is a letter sent to the editor of the Valdosta Daily Times by a Fairness member who posted it to the listserve.
To Whom It May Concern:
As I read over the morning news, I was disturbed down to my very soul. The article that so unnerved me was regarding the abuse/treatment of "prisoners in military custody" and "setting standards set in the Army field Manual and bar cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody". This type of statement and exposure regarding treatment of detainees/prisoners is a long time in coming, but why are we more worried about prisoners the military holds?
Everyday all across the United States people are subject to "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" inside our prison system and it seems as if no one cares. Just recently in Georgia, guards were found to have been beating handcuffed inmates. All across our country inmates are physically, verbally, and emotionally abused everyday by the people we pay to oversee them. If anyone believes that the case in Georgia was an exception to the rule, then you should talk to an inmate. Talk to his family. Listen to the horror stories about beatings, football helmets being put on people's head so no bruises will show, people being beaten when they are put in the hole.
We get so outraged about what happened to the Iraqi detainees, and we should be, but the outrage should not stop there. The men and women in our prison system are our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers. These are the people who quite possibly one day will be our next-door neighbor. If we as "our brother's keeper" do not stand up and hold the prison system accountable for their treatment of our families, we are asking for trouble. The detainees in Iraq will never be our neighbor; the men/women in prison could very well be buying groceries in line with you one day.
I ask, what are we allowing to be done to the men and women behind bars across this nation, in the name of rehabilitation and punishment that we will have to live with tomorrow. Society is sitting back and allowing the prison system to emotionally and physically pound beliefs and fears into the over 2 million people in prisons and we do nothing. I truly wish that we as US citizens would show as much compassion and concern for people on our soil, whether they have done right or not, as we do for people of foreign soil. Our love and concern should first be to our country and its people, then the lessons and beliefs that we practice at home will spill over our borders. If we allow abuse inside our borders, why do we expect anything different outside those borders? The people who commit this abuse, whether here or on foreign soil, are just doing what they have been allow to do at home.
Dianne ----
And then...
OH MY GOD. The Valdosta Daily Times just called me. THEY ARE GOING TO PUBLISH MY LETTER IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I am honestly in tears. Someone is listening!!!!!!!
Dianne
From another member...
Go Di!!! I’m so proud of you! That’s the ticket…keep on talking and reasoning and questioning until someone really listens. All the while, seeds are being planted!!