Prison is not without its success stories, and the same can be said of parole...
While incarceration can make some men and women worse, a sizable number of them leave prison and do well.
In the forty-two years I have been confined, I have witnessed many so-called “success” stories. Scores of men whom I did prison time with have since finished their sentences, were released, and have done very well. They have not reoffended. Instead, they’re working at good jobs, are raising families, and many are involved in positive community activities such as being active in a church. Some have even become licensed ministers, their years of incarceration becoming a distant memory of darker days.
Unfortunately, it seems, bad news travels faster than good news. Very often, the media will not hesitate to report on a parolee getting arrested for committing another crime. It happens. But when those who’ve gotten out and have shown themselves to be law-abiding citizens who are now leading productive lives, such success stories seldom get reported on. When they are, they’re usually aired on a public access station, which has far less viewers than the more popular and more often viewed “prime time” stations and channels. But one day maybe this will change.
D.B.
In the forty-two years I have been confined, I have witnessed many so-called “success” stories. Scores of men whom I did prison time with have since finished their sentences, were released, and have done very well. They have not reoffended. Instead, they’re working at good jobs, are raising families, and many are involved in positive community activities such as being active in a church. Some have even become licensed ministers, their years of incarceration becoming a distant memory of darker days.
Unfortunately, it seems, bad news travels faster than good news. Very often, the media will not hesitate to report on a parolee getting arrested for committing another crime. It happens. But when those who’ve gotten out and have shown themselves to be law-abiding citizens who are now leading productive lives, such success stories seldom get reported on. When they are, they’re usually aired on a public access station, which has far less viewers than the more popular and more often viewed “prime time” stations and channels. But one day maybe this will change.
D.B.
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