Is It True What They Say About Inmates?

by Peggy Butler

An Inmate's Prayer

AUTHOR’S WARNING:

The writer of this commentary opposes criminal behavior of every magnitude, and believes strongly in the adage “Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time.”  However, the purpose of this editorial is to proclaim that inmates are human too, and once they have served their time,   they should not be subjected to unjust criticism, because they made the mistake of  landing behind bars.

You who sit in your homes, enjoying  the seclusion of  your  surroundings. You who’ve  managed to refrain from criminal mischief ---all you who’re enclosed by four walls-- you have no idea  of what goes on with inmates, whose lives are suspended in time.  And there are thousands of  them—in small towns, major cities, rural areas, everywhere you look, there they are. If you were out for a night on the town, you could easily identify them by their faces, bristling with uncertainty. And that look of despair, which follows them like a foreboding shadow.

Staring at them, you wonder how they got that way. However, if you have never encountered a resident of the penal system, you might be baffled, the way millions are. But not I. Read on.

The word penitentiary conjures up images of  a  massive dungeon swarming with rapists, murderers and drug addicts. Moreover, our evaluation of the folks who occupy these dwellings is less than complimentary. Who among us has not made a hasty comment regarding inmates? Why it is that we, who have never committed a crime, have an overwhelming desire to criticize those who commit offenses without weighing the consequences?

Over the years, I’ve met folks who insist that all inmates are scumbags. After hearing that phrase for the umpteenth time, I thought it was only fair to present a commentary on criminal offenders  from a different, albeit, controversial viewpoint.

First of all, not all convicts are poster boys for Psychos R’ Us.  Nor are they cold, callous and conniving.  Experts argue, those behind bars are capable of displaying real compassion.  Hear that America? Now, go ahead and make that the lead-in-story of your evening newscast, ABC, CBS and NBC.

Likewise, in spite of what you may have heard, inmates do not enjoy the conditions they live under. No one likes to sleep in a bed that is hard as a rock, and eat food fit for a pig. Nor do they enjoy sharing a shower with their homies. Come on, would you like a 6’2”  300 – pounder  name “Mr. Jollywad”, checking out your winkie? I think not. And speaking of home, they do not like the stench of feces, which becomes unbearable, because a cellmate has a fondness for filth, and doesn’t believe in flushing the toilet.

At prisons where conditions are unsanitary, inmates detest their sparse living quarters, crawling with cockroaches that scamper when you turn off the lights. Like any normal person, inmates prefer to live in a clean environment. Am I getting my point across?

Secondly, because they are behind bars, why does everyone assume that inmates are morons? I’ll be the first to admit that the typical inmate’s behavior borders on lunacy, but they are not academically challenged. Believe it or not, some inmates can hold their own with any educated know-it-all. Many have read the works of  William Shakespeare and Ernest Hemingway.  Similarly, they have reveled in the literary eloquence of Paul Robeson and Maya Angelo, and can quote lines of  every poet  from Dickinson to Longfellow. So lay off  the moron hypocrisy, these guys are smart, especially when it comes to the legal system.

Third, inmates do not have dreams of murder and mayhem.  Like the average male, they long for love, success and prosperity.  Although these guys are behind bars, they can still dream can’t they? Lastly, inmates resent the fact that they are constantly described as the lowest of the low. Not all are evil and immoral. Inmates often ask, “What gives outsiders the right to criticize us because we have committed a crime?” I can’t answer that one, but they can. Care to ask them?

So the next time you meet an ex- convict, don’t take out your broom and brush them off. Who knows when that dust will come flying back at you.  How’s that for a dose of reality?