Prison Post-Release

Well i havent posted on here for a while where i have got on my high horse about sumthing so here goes

after reading another post on this forum it angers me to no end that services can discharge / release clients when they no they are homeless .... now i have worked in a D&A Residential Rehab and we have done the same thing and they still do now ........ and i know its not easy getting clients housing believe you me i work with it nearly every day now its a bloody constant battle like pushing shit uphill and only ever gettign half way which usually for the client is a week or two in a local motel which has no cooking facilities and a lot of addicts / dealers etc are also there (please dont misinterpret what i am saying about addicts etc as i am not judgemental at all and i work and have friends who are addicts).

I dont have the answers but wish i did ....

ok like jail a person has done their time and they are released to teh streets how the fuck is this suppose to help or benefit them.

i had a client who done his longest stint was 15 years and i asked him do they prepare you for society he laughed ......... now after 15 years incarcerated with no rent or responsibility how do they expect these people to walk out and go and rent a place, find work , pay bills even bloody food shopping for goodness sake....

I just dont understand the concept of it at all and how they think this is going to rehabiliate or help teh prisoners

now surely to goodness wouldnt you think that after a long period in jail that if this is the only life they know what are the chances of them re-offending to get back to the only "home" they know and think about it ... roof over their head, mates, food daily etc etc. ------ i know not ideal to a lot of us but to a lot it is home and shelter especially in winter when its cold outside.

well that is my whinge for the day .. i would be interested to hear if anyone agrees or has any thing else to add etc to this

here is a poem which was written by a judge

A REFLECTION ON THE EFFECT OF IMPRISONMENT

We want them to have self worth, so we destroy their self worth

we want them to be responsible, so we take away their responsibilities

we want them to be part of our community, so we isolate them from our community

we want them to be positive and constructive, so we degrade them and make them useless

we want them to be non-violent, so we put them where there is violence all around them

we want them to be kind and loving people, so we subject them to hatred and cruelty

we want them to quit being the tough guy, so we put them where the tough guy is respected

we want them to quit hanging around with losers, so we put all the losers under one roof

we want them to quit exploiting us, so we put them where they exploit each other

we want them to take control of their own lives, own their own problems and quite being parasites, so we make them totally dependant on us.

I LOVE THIS POEM AND THINK IT IS SO REAL AND TRUE .