He's 21 With Nowhere to Go After Prison
One Way TDCJ Is Failing
I'm certainly not a constant critic of the "system." Admittedly, I am not a fan of the prison system as a whole but I was ignorant at best, apathetic at worst, when I walked the streets of the outside world as to how it functions and how it fails. The system is working to improve itself, and I wish it would seek counsel for improvements from those of us who reside within its walls, but the system is so expansive and diverse, their is not a "one-size-fits-all" solution to the issues within. One of the opportunities afforded to me while I live in the razor wire is to serve in the Christian Church community. Every Saturday a group of men load up and offer a Christian service for those who are confined to Administrative Segregation, or more currently known as "Restrictive Housing." The inmate led ministry team spends over six hours moving equipment to each wing in order to ensure there is an opportunity for those men to have a weekly service. It is hard work and when the team returns to their wings they are exhausted. The Field Minister responsible for this team invited me to serve with him again for a week. I used to be a permanent fixture on this ministry team but elected to serve in other areas, but my schedule allowed me the privilege of going, so I went. After leading praise and worship I walked cell to cell to encourage those living there and in the last wing I walked toward a cell of a man who looked tentative. As we spoke he shared he was discharging his prison sentence in five-months and was visibly fearful. I told him his family would take care of him but he said his dad is also in prison somewhere and he called his mother a "drug addicted prostitute." This young man is 21-years old and unless something changes for him within the next five months, he will walk out of the Texas prison system with a bus ticket, a $100 check, and the clothes on his back.
This young man needs help. He has struggled with addiction, he has dabbled in gang activity, he did not take advantage of educational programs during his incarceration, he does not have a G.E.D. and he acted out when he first entered the prison system and landed in Medium Custody before ultimately being locked up. He has made awful choices as a 18, 19, 20, and 21 year old "man" but is now realizing he does not have a plan and he needs help! How many times have we announced classes, vocational training, spiritual growth and development courses to men like this? How many times has he been on waiting lists but got in trouble for petty decisions, usually influenced by peer pressure, only to get him knocked off the list? When this young man walks out of prison he has very few options. Will he go to a homeless shelter plagued with its own issues? Will he return to his small town friends who are engaged in drugs and gang activity only to be in a high risk environment? Will he move in with his mother who uses her body to get her next fix? Will he move to a strange city with no friends, no job skills, and no education? The system has flaws and we need to fix them. I have pooled resources with another incarcerated friend and we are working to help this young man stay clear of the prison cycle. We are trying to connect him with mentors, with job opportunity, and with housing. We are doing this while we are inside these walls. We are choosing hope. A fluke Saturday I was invited to serve the Christian Church in Segregation created this connection. There are many others just like him. How can you help? How can you declare, "I Choose Hope?" If you would like to connect with men like this, or if you have ideas or resources, please share with me via e-message. Something must change!
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