I choose this the cause of "Prison for Profit", for various reasons.
First I work with a jail and prison ministry to help people and their
families when the individual is need, if it is pray, food, housing
clothing or job placement. I see so many cases that are what I in my
generation would have called
railroad and trump charges.
For example we work with a young man who got busted with one joint of
marijuana and was an excellent student in school with a 3.75 GPA. and a
full scholarship for college awaiting him, and the court system wanted
to give him two years. "Now this is not to say I or my team support
doing any type of drugs; after all this is a "Christian" base ministry".
But do I send a young man with a promising opportunity to make a
difference in his life, his family and society into a prison system for
two years for something as small a one joint, or do you give him another
chance with perhaps a sponsorship mentoring program and even perhaps
community work. This is for sure a better method than to cut a young
17year old life short into a life of prison.
My second for reasoning is as we took training to work with the jail and
prison ministry we had to meet with the wardens and community
assistance coordinator. We discovered that from the jail system the
"State of Colorado" profits are 45% and the prison system 55%; so you
see the state receives 100% profits form the jail and prison system.
Also there is no rehabilitation.
programs such as drug and alcohol, education or trade. Therefore it is a
dead end cycle mostly once in the system unless there is some
individuals who attempt to make a difference.
My third reason for choosing this subject. My husband is a Commercial
Electrician"and he worked as a sub contractor for a company their
industry was building prisons. We discovered the company built prison
for "Private Industries." The process was the industry would go in a
town build the prison the town may the industry a percentage for the
prison based on the maximum of the confinement. This started me to
researching to discover many of the private sector is judges, attorney
firms, etc. Amazing isn't it.
What was more amazing to me after choosing this subject, I come home
today and on T.V. is this gentlemen who was on death row set for death
seven times but he was actually a victim of a corrupt system. On the
District Attorney's death bed he confessed he which documents and DNA to
have this man convicted. The promised and blessed size to the story is
the gentlemen himself has started a program and have helped five people
who were on death row for crimes they did not commit.
This amazed me also when, he made the statement "Faith and Education" is
what is needed. I also liked his slogan "The prosecution may rest but
he will not until he can help all who is falsely accused for position,
power and money.