| A broken society of forgotten children is banging its | | | | house, feed, clothe and educate confined inmates. |
| way up the ladder of their demoralizing childhood | | | | And, although local jails are generally operating under |
| while very few people are aware of the devastating | | | | their stated capacities, all state and federal prisons |
| lives they are being forced to live. The unfortunate | | | | are extremely overcrowded -- some as much as 33 |
| circumstances imposed on them are due to no fault | | | | percent higher than their official capacities. |
| of their own. Surprising as this may seem to some, | | | | Based on current projections, by 2011 the U.S. prison |
| this particular segment of population, abandoned and | | | | population will increase by 13% - which is triple the |
| neglected, (children) has grown beyond imaginable | | | | growth of the entire population as a whole - to more |
| leaps and bounds in the last few years. Not many | | | | than 1.7 million. Supporting that increase in |
| people have any reason to give a thought to the | | | | incarcerated people will cost American taxpayers and |
| overwhelming effects caused by having a parent (s) | | | | local/state budgets an estimated $27.5 billion. At that |
| incarcerated. But, today I propose a moment of | | | | time, another 4 million people will also be on probation |
| conscious thought on their behalf. The spiraling | | | | or parole. |
| effects are more than upsetting. Not only do the | | | | Back to my original concern, however, what happens |
| children suffer due to their loss of parental love, | | | | to the children of this huge cancerous growth? The |
| supervision, respect, guidance and comradeship; they | | | | net effect is that states, counties, courts, sheriffs, |
| must endure the awful demoralizing labeling stigma | | | | and administrators are actively looking for ways to |
| referred and projected on them as 'prison spawn.' | | | | address the almost unmanageable issue. According to |
| These children regrettably, without any negligible say | | | | the latest findings, it is now estimated that 7 million |
| so, pay a heavy life-long penalty for their parents' | | | | children, or 10 percent of the population under the |
| poor decision making faculties (mistakes). It's a heart | | | | age of 18, have a parent under some form of |
| rendering sobering reality for the children to endure, | | | | correctional supervision. While research is limited in this |
| but sadder still is the stunning statistical data that | | | | area, early indications from preliminary studies |
| states that more than 70 % of the children whose | | | | suggest, that children of incarcerated parents are |
| parents are incarcerated will end up in behind bars | | | | three to six times more likely to exhibit violent or |
| themselves. Who cares? You should and every one | | | | serious delinquent behavior. |
| else who is living in this land of the free civilized | | | | Further Statistics: |
| society of America, today. | | | | * The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 2.3 |
| Mandatory sentencing guidelines and a growing | | | | children are affected by the 1.1 million parents |
| number of drug-related convictions are factors in a | | | | incarcerated in prisons or jails, up from 500,000 |
| continued growth of inmates held in federal, state | | | | children in 1991. |
| and local prisons and jails in the United States. In | | | | * Approximately 75 percent of incarcerated women |
| other words, the bulk of the prison population is not | | | | are mothers and two-thirds have children under age |
| found among those who have committed violent | | | | 18. |
| crimes. The United States imprisons significantly more | | | | * Seventy-two percent of female inmates with |
| people than any other nation in the world. In fact, | | | | children under age 18 lived with those children before |
| the PewCenter on the States reported in 2008 that | | | | entering prison. |
| an astounding one in every 100 adults in the U.S. now | | | | * Six percent of women entering prison are pregnant. |
| lives behind bars! And over the next two years, | | | | * From 1990 to 2000, the number of mothers in |
| researchers predict the situation will get even worse. | | | | prison grew 87 percent, while fathers increased by 61 |
| At a particularly mind-blowing rate, more people are | | | | percent. |
| being locked up then ever before. According to the | | | | * Fifty-four percent of mothers in state prison said |
| Bureau of Justice Statistics, in June 2008, a | | | | they never had visits from their children. |
| staggering 2,310,984 prisoners were held in federal or | | | | * Approximately 55 percent of incarcerated men are |
| state prisons or in local jails - an increase of 0.8% | | | | fathers of children under the age of 18. |
| from yearend 2007. More importantly and certainly | | | | * Thirty-two percent of men in prison have two or |
| surprising, - The number of women under the | | | | more children under the age of 18. |
| jurisdiction of state or federal prison authorities | | | | * On any given day, there are approximately 1 million |
| increased 1.2% from yearend 2007, reaching 115,779, | | | | fathers behind bars. |
| and the number of men rose 0.7%, totaling | | | | * Fifty-seven percent of fathers in state prison |
| 1,494,805. The vast majority of these incarcerated | | | | report never having visits from their children. |
| women are mothers. | | | | The humanistic resolution concerning this life debasing |
| What do these figures have to with you and your | | | | problem resulting from the forgotten society of the |
| family? Everything! [Because, esoterically, humanely, | | | | children of inmates will not resolve itself without |
| conscionably and spiritually everything has something | | | | consciously motivated intervention. I have merely |
| to do with "it"]. Why are these numbers important | | | | presented to you statistics without presenting or |
| and how do we, as law abiding citizens, fix a stake in | | | | dissecting the emotional, mental, financial, spiritual, |
| the activities of non-violent criminals? First on the | | | | physical and educational needs of these deprived |
| agenda is awareness. We can not bury our heads in | | | | young ones. Every child is precious; their talents/gifts |
| the sand and pretend like it doesn't matter. If you're | | | | irreplaceable, and their unique contribution significantly |
| alive, reading these words, breathing, enjoying the | | | | important to the entire weaving of the intricate fabric |
| benefits of your 'somewhat' preferred existence, | | | | of mankind. What can we do? It begins with |
| then you can idealistically acknowledge that nothing | | | | recognition of the sacred profound desire to move |
| that occurs is exempt from your own life. We can | | | | into this technologically advanced meteorite propelled |
| not simply dismiss these people as not belonging to | | | | American civilization with an upsurge in our |
| the entire body of our civilization any more than we | | | | consciousness. We must embrace that which we |
| can cut away the heart from the lungs. They are not | | | | don't understand fully, comprehend completely and |
| some sort of unclassifiable insects to be placed under | | | | typically turn a deaf ear to simply because our minds |
| an undignified microscope for investigation, as if they | | | | are bombarded with other time-consuming |
| are not part of the viable human race | | | | meaningless activities. If we can realize the |
| IF, you simply can not relate on any recognizable | | | | catastrophic consequences of consuming plates that |
| human level, just think about the astronomical | | | | are much too full, we may just get a cosmic glimpse |
| economical deterring negative impact the extenuating | | | | of the unbearable penalties. "...Suffer not the children |
| problems will present. FYI: We have countless prisons | | | | to come unto me: if anyone offends one of least of |
| that are inestimably overcrowded. This dilemma, | | | | these; he has done it unto me..." (Paraphrased) It's |
| alone, at the very least, would consume the best | | | | worth pondering when you get the time. |
| strategic minds to reduce the surmounting cost to | | | | |