Counting the Days and Making Them Count

By Ann Espuelas

Prison life: Same activities, same food, same walls to stare at — all of it mind-numbing, day after day. Yet somehow, many people who live there do remarkable things. Funny things, important things, creative things.

It’s clear from the inhumanity of our criminal justice system, though, that lawmakers seem to think of people in prison as somehow not human. Not capable of appreciating beauty, of depth of feeling or thought, not worthy of redemption.

They should meet these people, all currently incarcerated …

… a man in the canine training program who takes 24/7 care of Flo, a deaf pit-bull rescue. He has always loved dogs and wants to bring Flo home when he’s released;

… a writer working on a book about science, theology, and philosophy to help readers understand their purpose in life;

… a father who worked for hours on the most detailed, beautiful portrait of his toddler child;

… a songwriter who writes songs that make people feel fully the joys and sorrows of the lives they left behind;

… a doting dad who crochets vividly colored stuffed animals for his kids;

… a woodworker crafting a three-foot clock for his partner;

… a whiz at re-sewing commissary clothes to look like what’s currently in fashion in the world;

… a daughter who makes nourishing soups and stews out of dandelions and wild sorrel from the prison yard, using ramen broth and the microwave;

… Native Americans who within the confines of prison practice and teach Native spiritual traditions in the sweat lodge, singing, prayers, meditation, ceremony, powwows, and Native crafts;

… a son with a degree in exercise science who writes individual programs for guys who want help. He loves it;

… a daughter who learned to crochet. She makes doll clothes and blankets for the other women so they can send them home to their kids;

… a dad who sends weekly workout schedules home to his kids. They do the same exercises on the same days of the week;

… a “fitness junkie” who organizes group workouts and weight-loss fitness groups;

… a dad who made his third-grader son a multiplication table chart, plus weekly math problems to complete. His son does them and sends them back for his dad to grade;

… avid birdwatchers who’ve kept protective eye on a goose who sits on her nest in the prison yard;

… a man who works on the heating and cooling system of the prison and makes sure his family is keeping up with the stock market;

… and a man who sets out a little of his own food for a visiting cat who is particularly friendly, especially when he feeds her tuna.

These people are engaged in the business of living, in spite of their circumstances. Laws are written, votes are cast, and policies are set, all of which impact more than 2 million incarcerated people — many serving excessive and harsh sentences. They are people from all walks of life, with complicated and sometimes desperate lives. All of them are human, and not one of them is disposable.

Do you have a story to share about the humanity of your loved one? A story that shows the world that people in prison are worthy of rehabilitation and a second chance? If so, please share it with FAMM.

Ann Espuelas is FAMM’s Director of Family Engagement and Storytelling.