Heaven only knows that Google has saved me when I have looked up facts for an assignment, figured out how to write a resumé & cover letter, or gave me directions to the nearest juice bar. With a few strokes on the keyboard, I am literally connected to any available information that the world has to offer. Honestly, Google--moreover the Internet--has to receive partial credit for my GPA. The Internet is a phenomenon that I, and many others, take for granted every day without recognizing the fact that many people do not have this plethora of information at their constant disposal.
If you have been incarcerated for over 30 years, you may not be in a position where you understand the benefits of technology. The Internet, GPS, satellite television, iWhatevers and other modern machinery could be seen as a fabricated myth. Heck, you may have never used a laptop! Yes, there is an underground market in prisons for cell phones, and some facilities offer internet access for inmates, but the allotted time or what they can research is very limited and censored (also those who have access to cell phones are probably not using them for research purposes). For some prisoners, they may be able to use the internet for vocational or educational training, but these activities may be the extent of their web access.
For inmates who are soon returning to the community on parole, or because of an expired/mandatory release, they may be unaware of what kind of world waits for them beyond the barbed-wire fence. Furthermore, inmates may be uninformed about what resources, aid, or support they have access to. This is especially true when prisoners have broken familial ties or any support network that cannot help with their transition.
This is where the Barrios Unidos Prison Project comes into play: we are essentially the "Google" for prisoners. Our team reads handwritten letters from all over the country and responds by giving information and support. Sometimes, we include words of wisdom or inspirational artwork in hopes of comforting those with limited contact to the real world. For example, I recently received a letter asking for drug treatment programs in the Santa Cruz County. So, I hopped on the Google and found a number of different 12 step, A.A., and other outpatient programs; one of which specifically focused on those who have been in the criminal justice system. Bingo! I printed out this information, replied to his letter, put it in a manila envelope, and then the packet was off to mail-land.
Okay pause. I know what you are thinking: But these people are burglars, gang members, rapists, or murderers!! Why should we help when they couldn't follow to the very basic rules, norms, and laws of society in the first place? We should be using our resources to help other people like the homeless, veterans, or indebted college students!
To this response, I cannot provide an answer that will adequately absolve this tension, but I will say that it is important to remember: these folks, like everyone else, are human beings with thoughts & feelings, past traumas, and every other aspect or process that makes one human. I think it is important to help those who are at the margins of society, as helping others succeed fulfills our cultural value of humanitarianism. From my course in sociological theory (I can't remember who said this idea--sorry Ashleigh!), a sociologist said something along the lines of: you can judge a society by how it treats those who are the least fortunate . . . perhaps it was Harriet Martineau or Charlotte Gilman?
**Edit: I talked to my Grandma on the phone recently (she has been reading my blog!) and she told me that " a lot of people have said this quote." Including Mahatma Gandhi, "A nation's greatness is measured by how well it treats its weakest members, as well as the first female sociologist Harriet Martineau, "If a test of civilization be sought, none can be so sure as the condition of that half of society over which the other half has power."
As an English woman in the Victorian era, Martineau was able to support herself completely from her writing. She taught that in order to study society, we must include all its aspects, including key political, religious and social institutions, and she insisted on the need to include to lives of women. She talked about what any feminist talks about - marriage, children, domestic and religious life, and race relations. Martineau was a cool lady!
. . . okay so back to prisoners . . .
Unless a convict is life without parole (LWOP), they will leave prison and return to society. With 1 in every 31 U.S. adults behind bars, on parole, or probation, if you're in a public place right now, it is highly likely that at least a few people around you have been involved with the criminal justice system in some capacity. By providing access to resources and support, Barrios Unidos may help those who are released transition into productive, law-abiding citizens.
. . . yeah but what if they are unable to find jobs, housing, or assimilate into modern society and then return to a life of crime? Are not parole officers responsible for helping ex-convicts transition?
Well my friends, these are valid concerns, and one that criminologists, community leaders, policy makers - and I - struggle with consistently, but the topic of recidivism and parole officers will have to be for another time!
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