The Aftermath of Imprisonment

Imprisonment is one of those topics that is very taboo. Many times, we are discussing people that have been forgotten from our very society. They are released to reestablish themselves into the same that have listed them as the forgotten. How can this not cause psychological issues? All of them will leave prison with a stigma on their back that reads “Felon”. It does not matter if they leave as a better person than they came. All of these can cause various psychological issues for the former prisoner. Are we really ready to have this discussion?

I think this topic challenges us to take a step back and ask ourselves, “Do we really have a good heart? It is very easy to label ourselves as kind people until we actually have to do things that kind people actually do, such as forgive. Simple enough? Not at all! Many people in this world would much rather pay someone to get revenge on a person than just to simple forgive someone in their hearts. Why do we treat ex prisoners this way? Why have we lost our way?

Give Back Hope

It is time we learn how to give back to those who need it most. People just like us! People who have made mistakes and already did the time to pay for it. Would it hurt to not have better programs for people that are being released from prison to be able to cope with rejoining society. I personally believe instead of so much parole there should be required therapy as part of their release from prison. Are we just more concerned with the money or their actual mental well being? It is time for a real change. We are now in 2021 and not much has changed for prisoners behind bars or once released.

Prisoners have a high statistic for returning to prison due to not being able to adjust back into society. Also, it is known that many do commit suicide. There is a depression with not feeling good enough or feeling like deadweight to someone. Most prisoners leave without a lot of money so they may need certain things to adjust to every day society.

How Do We Eliminate Former Prisoner Suicides?

• Love! Would it hurt to show another human being just a little bit of real love. As said before, we all make countless mistakes. Some of us in the grand scheme of things just never got caught. Love does conquer all!
• Free Therapy. Therapy should be mandatory free for a year for anyone leaving out of prison. We force them to get a job but do we take care of their mental capacity to rejoin society.
• Guaranteed Work. The prisoner should not be responsible with finding a job. It should be part of prison reform programs to allow certain companies they hire felons and allow them to work seamlessly making this transition back to society much more painless and as stress free as we can get it.