Many people probably think that prison inmates live in our own world and that events which happen outside of these walls do not interest or affect us...
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I saw how big the hearts were of many of my fellow inmates when the terrorist attacks happened on September 11, 2001. Like tens of millions of people in America, as this tragedy unfolded, we were riveted to our televisions and radios. We were saddened and horrified. And we, prison inmates, did something about it. In the weeks and months following the attacks, we gave of our meager finances and resources. We came together to pray. We came together to give. We tried to make a difference.
In the DOCS/TODAY, which is the official magazine of the New York State Department of Correctional Services, the January 2002 issue had a lengthy "Cover Story" article about the Corrections employees and inmates who came together to give.
According to this article, donations were taken at every prison. The money was then sent to the World Trade Center Relief Fund and to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. In addition, canned food was collected as well as blankets, and hundreds of cases of bottled water, all of which was sent to the emergency workers at "Ground Zero".
A complete listing of every correctional facility and what each one donated (some were only able to donate money) is stated in the article.
D.B.
DOCS/TODAY, January 2002, Vol.11, No.1 (no longer available)
I saw how big the hearts were of many of my fellow inmates when the terrorist attacks happened on September 11, 2001. Like tens of millions of people in America, as this tragedy unfolded, we were riveted to our televisions and radios. We were saddened and horrified. And we, prison inmates, did something about it. In the weeks and months following the attacks, we gave of our meager finances and resources. We came together to pray. We came together to give. We tried to make a difference.
In the DOCS/TODAY, which is the official magazine of the New York State Department of Correctional Services, the January 2002 issue had a lengthy "Cover Story" article about the Corrections employees and inmates who came together to give.
According to this article, donations were taken at every prison. The money was then sent to the World Trade Center Relief Fund and to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. In addition, canned food was collected as well as blankets, and hundreds of cases of bottled water, all of which was sent to the emergency workers at "Ground Zero".
A complete listing of every correctional facility and what each one donated (some were only able to donate money) is stated in the article.
D.B.
DOCS/TODAY, January 2002, Vol.11, No.1 (no longer available)