The title might imply that this is an article about school or about children. It is not. This is an announcement for the next monthly meeting of PRISONERS ARE PEOPLE TOO, INC. As always, we’ll be meeting on the last Monday of the month, October 25, ready to share information that you will find useful. Our community gatherings are always open to the public with an eye toward community education and empowerment.
While “Ready! Set! Learn!” is a commercial initiative that relates to children’s learning and growth, the very same might well be said as we take a look at the lives of our returning citizens and their families. While prison is meant to ensure care, custody, and control, a return to community should be a space that provides for rehabilitation, restoration, and redemption if necessary. While returning citizens, reformed offenders, may feel ready to move on with their lives upon release, getting set may pose issues that require an individual to learn new ways of living a new life.
Probation and Parole have rules and policies that require strict adherence. What does one do if the rules conflict with getting and/or keeping a job? What does one do if the rules interfere with continuing your education? How does one deal with rules that forbid living with a family member or friend of your choice? Whether the period of incarceration was 10 years or 20, technology changes every day and must be learned to navigate this new life. Sadly, one thing changes slowly. Society has a tendency to look at prisoners and their families and communities in a negative light, criminalizing and marginalizing them in ways that impede positive progress.
Karima Amin and Baba Eng of PRP2
You are invited to join us for the next monthly meeting of PRISONERS ARE PEOPLE TOO, INC. on Monday, October 25, 7:00-9:00pm, at the Rafi Green C.A.O. Masten Resource Center, 1423 Fillmore Avenue @ Glenwood. Our featured speakers, returning citizens, will share their stories.
You must come masked.
For more information: Karima Amin, karimatells@yahoo.com BaBa Eng: g.babacng@yahoo.com www.prp2.org