There are over 2 million kids in America who are growing up with a parent who is incarcerated. In the state of Georgia alone there are over 200,000 kids who have a father in prison or one who is on probation. This number is outrageous and is steadily climbing. Right now the number of African American jails is 1 in 12 but its said to soon climb to 1 in 3. And you have to sit back and think why is the number climbing? Why can’t these men change their lives around if not for themselves then for their kids. I’ve pondered this and have come up with an answer society gives up on them.
When a person gets out of jail the first thing their expected to do is get a job but how can they get a job when jobs won’t hire you for your criminal history. Almost every job application has that and the minute that they check that box they are written off and the job is given to the next man. Some feel the pressure and the stress to take care of their kids and their home so they go back to the easy money. they do that because that’s the only way they know how. And with jobs not even giving them a chance could you blame them?
Every prisoner who does time walks out serving a lifetime sentence. They are forever labeled. Whether your a murderer, a drug dealer, or someone who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They walk around with that mark for life. It’s hard to shake your past especially if you’ve done time. But if we expect the ex-felons to be a productive part of society don’t you think we ought to give them a shot first instead of just writing them off? How can you expect them to become better people when people are constantly closing the door in their faces? Causing them to revert back into their old ways and being apart from their kids who are more likely to repeat the cycle. How can someone prove that they have changed without given the opportunity? Think about this before you start to judge people who go in and out the prison system. For some that’s the only place they actually mean something.
Written By,
Authoress Taquila Thompson
No comments:
Post a Comment