Tuesday Insights: The Good and The Bad of Cumberland County Jail

            Everyplace has it’s good and bad people, but you would expect in a jail to have the staff be all good people. Unfortunately, at Cumberland County Jail in Portland, ME that is not the case. I know of this since my mom’s husband is in there on a driving in fraction. Not everyone in prison after all is a heartless person. If you took the time to get to know some of them you’d actually be surprised at how many were nice people just caught up on the wrong side of the tracks who want to be rehabilitated.

            The problems at Cumberland County Jail start with some of the immigrants not being treated as well as their Caucasian counterparts. As well as seemingly Caucasian inmates getting preferential selection for work release duty. And, one of the night time med workers calling my step dad a nigger. Now I admit he did wrong and he is serving time for that. But, he still deserves respect like any other human being.

            After all this worker doesn’t know what he is in for. And, it is not on the worker to pass judgement on him. Nor on any jail worker to pass judgement on any inmate. A judge and jury have already done that. And, the inmate is serving their time where they should be being rehabilitated. Not harassed or made to feel worse. They should be being brought up and taught things and made to feel that after their time is served they can live a productive life out in the world.

            They should be made to think this is a time out to reflect on what they have done and to get back on the right track. Not degraded and made to feel like they are second class citizens as if they were back before the Civil Rights Era. All men and women should be treated equally with respect and dignity even in prison. They should be given opportunity to show they want to do right and to make themselves better. Or at least start to.

            They should be allowed to have a second chance in some cases with restrictions understandably. But, professionals at jails are meant to rehabilitate prisoners not just guard and punish. Unfortunately, some think that is all there is to their job. But, even as my mom was telling me about the problems my step dad faced she wanted to make sure to point out the good that was done there as well. Like the one woman who made sure she could visit him with a coat on the first time despite it not being normally allowed.

            She had made the mistake of wearing a dress that revealed her shoulders, why shoulders being revealed is such a big deal I have no clue. But, she asked if she got a coat could she be allowed to visit still. The woman overseeing visits that night got it so that she could for that one time. So while there are problems there are some good people there willing to be compassionate and help people make sure they get to see each other on a regular basis.

            As well as make exceptions when it is the right thing to do. I think Cumberland County Jail has some work to do as does the whole Prison System in general. But, working with the community and some rehabilitation experts it can be done. I’m not saying they haven’t done wrong. I’m just saying not everyone is a lifetime criminal and maybe it is time we started changing our attitudes about how we treat people in prison. And that in this case there is something seriously wrong.

            As you can see I am trying to speak softer but still with the power as before. I find it works better. Feel Free to leave your questions and comments below. And, if you want my columns to appear in your inbox enter your email in the box below where it says follow by email. As for me I am back to doing schoolwork. *Tips his hat and walks out the door. *

Monday Beginnings: Memorial Day and a Few Other Things

            I know I said I was going to get up on my soapbox today, but that was me forgetting to look at my calendar. Today is memorial day, the day that we give thanks to our men and woman in uniform and our veterans both living and passed on for their service. A day to set aside politics as well as problems for one day and focus on them. We honor them in parades and with various other events around the country today as it should be.

            As we should do every time they come home whether alive or having passed on. They died defending our freedom after all. Freedom I stand up and defend in my own way here in this blog by calling out everything wrong I see in this country. And that you my readers tell me if I am wrong or right about. I can’t serve in the military or I would be in the Navy. A tradition that has gone on in my family two generations before me.

            But, I am still grateful to all the armed service men and women who guard against anyone who would take my right to write freely away. And, you can be damned sure I will stand up for any veteran when someone goes to insult them. I may not agree with what they are asked to do and may protest it. But, I will never take it out on them. They have to follow orders unless they are unjust or unconstitutional. That is there job and what they signed up for. And, it is not an easy life though some enjoy it.

            They defend our right to pledge allegiance to the flag. As well as stomp on it burn it or anything else we can think to do to it in protest. And, I defend that too as much as I may not agree with it. But, it is still a right we have in this country. I have learned a lot in this past year. Mostly that to be truly a good citizen I have to be willing to defend the rights of those I disagree with as much as I do those I agree with.

            And, that is the hard part of being a good citizen. It’s easy to stand up for the rights of those that you agree with. But, when it comes to standing up for the right of those you disagree with even though they are entitled to them it can be difficult. But, still it is the right thing to do as an American. Because rights apply to all of us not just the ones we agree with. As much as we sometimes wish they did. Even our troops know this.

            And, yet still they volunteer to fight for us to be able to have these rights. Even the ones they disagree with. They fight to protect their rights too. How many of you can say you would do that without hesitation? I know there are some that wish they could but are medically unfit too. So, no I am not bashing. Donald Trump talks about building a wall to protect us from immigrants. We don’t need to build a wall we already have one to protect us from anyone who would do us harm. It is every man and woman in uniform today.

            I meant to get to some other stuff, but I think I’ve said enough for one day. Feel free to leave questions and comments below. And, if you want my columns in your inbox enter your email address in the box below where it says follow by email. As for me it is back to the grind maybe. *Tips his hat and walks out the door. *

Saturday Thoughts: Why Does Society Treat The Mentally Ill Like It Does?

            Fair warning, I am going to be getting up on my soapbox much more. And, I know it might make me some enemies, which I fully expect and accept. But, someone has to speak up and speak out or the message will not get out. And, if the messenger has to be me so be it. This isn’t the only subject I will be speaking out about either. It is just the first since it is close to my heart and society has ignored it for so long.

            Society treats the mentally ill like second class citizens at best and at worse like some sort of fungus it can’t get rid of. Why is that? We are human beings just like you just a bit different. And, yes some of us have done violent things. But, so have supposedly sane people and you don’t look at a whole class of people like them as pariahs. On the contrary you do everything in your power to help fix the problem that caused it.

            But, you call for things to help the mentally ill yet don’t act on it ever. You leave us to live as miserably as you can possibly get away with. Cutting funding to our programs every chance you get. As if we are not important at all. Like we don’t matter. Failing to realize you are also hurting veterans who if we directly went to cut funding for them there would be outrage over it. Yet when it is just the mentally ill as some would put it there is no outrage outside of the community of the mentally ill and their families.

            It is also hurting education when you cut funding for the mentally ill as well. Since with support and some of the programs you keep slashing there would be more productive members of society. But, you fail to see that. You just see money going to the mentally ill like we are some sort of leeches. We are not leeches; we are human beings trying to live good healthy lives. Why is that so hard for you to grasp? Why do you insist on putting up so many road blocks in our path?

            We all bleed the same color if cut. It’s not like our illness turns out blood some mutated color. We all have feelings just for some of us they can get a bit extreme at times and we need help calming down. We all have needs just some of us have more needs than others at times. And, we all have talents just for some it takes longer to harness those talents. But, people seem so unwilling to see that nowadays. As well as unwilling to have patience with people.

            Why has society changed to such a heartless being as we have advanced in capability? It seems society thinks that it doesn’t have to give to those in need of help anymore as if some machine exists to cure all suddenly. Well wakeup call it doesn’t. So it is time for society to start doing what it should have been all along. And, that is quite simply treating the mentally ill with the dignity and respect that they do everyone else. As well as giving them what they need to recover properly and with self-respect. Along with decent income on disability so that we are not so far down on the totem that we are mile below minimum wage earners. Being a bit below them is one thing so there is an incentive to want to go back to work when one is able to, but where we are now being insulting.

            I think now things are a bit clearer, so I will step off my soapbox on this issue for today. Tomorrow I have a different issue to get on my soapbox about. You have been forewarned. For now, feel free to leave questions and comments below. And, if you want my columns to appear in your inbox enter your email address in the box below where it says to follow by email. As for me it is back to school work for me. *Tips his hat and walks out the door. *