Searching of HOPE, COMPASSION, AND DIGNITY

 A few days ago, as I was channel surfing (yes, I’m old-fashioned that way) I happened upon an NBC News special with Lester Holt reporting on Louisiana’s efforts to reform one of the most notorious prisons in America: Angola. Louisiana had a well-earned reputation for being “The Prison Capital of the US” by incarcerating more people (mostly black men) than any other State in the Country. However, as the report indicated, renewed efforts at prison reform by the State government were paying off. Although there was a long way to go, strides were being made and Louisiana’s number of incarcerated people dropped from #1 in the Country to #2.

Under the guidance of the State’s then Democratic Governor (2024), John Bell Edwards, Angola began to return to the importance of rehabilitation in addition to just punishment. It seems that the War on Crime which began during the Regan era, had a message that struck fear into the heart of Americans. It promised us safer communities by locking up dangerous criminals and basically throwing away the key. Damn rehabilitation. What we needed was punishment. Because this policy also including a component known as The War on Drugs and The 2 Strikes Clause, many offenders convicted of even minor drug offenses were given draconian sentences, including LIFE without parole and without any other legal recourse.

The problem is that according to the NBC report, it failed – miserably. Crime rates in fact rose in many areas. And the United Sates began imprisoning more people THAN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD (6^th in per capita).

The situation in Louisiana improved with the acknowledgement that it was the mindset that produced the so-called War on Crime that is the real culprit. The intention was mostly punitive and lacked two key human components, hope and compassion, dooming it to failure. It preyed on people’s fears rather than their hopes. When remedial programs were instituted at Angola, hope returned to many inmates and recidivism rates dropped dramatically. After a long battle waged in the State’s Supreme Court, inmates won the right to have certain life-without- parole sentences reviewed for possible Compassionate Release. A panel of 3 judges must unanimously agree that the very particular circumstance of each individual meets the true threshold of compassion. After the ruling, violence committed within the prison walls was also reduced. Besides, simply put, it’s just the right thing to do.

But what really made these successful? Well, because as humans we cannot live without hope and compassion – and DIGNITY. These concepts may be spiritual in nature and esoteric to some, but they form the core of what lies within in each of us. It only depends on whether we choose to connect with them on a deep level or not that makes the difference in the quality for ALL lives.

 

And this is what concerns me most about what’s happening to our Country under the burden of the dizzying number of Executive Orders being hurled at us by our current President and his administration. There are so many that it’s hard to keep track of them all much less make real sense of ANY of them. So, I won’t even try to with this post. Instead, I’d prefer to write about the spirit i.e. the true intention of them. In my mind, they lack the even the most basic human traits  I mentioned above and helped to create a society that imprisons more people than any other country on earth. That’s making America Great Again?

Beyond politics, what I see happening are actions that lack the core human emotions and principles necessary for a unified, sustainable, successful society. They are mean-spirited in nature and mostly void of hope, compassion and simple dignity, the 3 things as demonstrated by the Angola Prison model that made a difference, a positive one.

Among other orders that lack even the most common decency are:

·         Laying off tens of thousands of federal workers without real cause and due process is certainly not providing hope for the future of many Americans.

·         Denying the very existence of our brothers and sisters who have chosen to live their authentic selves has caused so many to live in fear.

·         Declaring that denying aid associated with the President’s dissolution of USAID which includes food to starving people lacks compassion is a gross understatement.

·         There is an effort to eliminate the very words we worked so hard to achieve - diversity, equity, and inclusion - from our very vocabulary. Mass deportations continue to spread fear and loathing through our immigrant communities.

·         Our European allies have been mostly abandoned and insulted.

And, with every word I write, this is more. Making America Great Again? Really?

Again, there are those who have and continue to support the President in these actions. There will always be those who lack the vision and strength to see beyond the hateful rhetoric and punitive measures. That is the way of the world. However, it doesn’t HAVE to be. I intend to use every legal means within my power to keep fighting for what is fair, right, and just. I know that I am not alone. It’s just a matter of how many will join us. Don’t lose your hope, compassion, and dignity. Only with them as our foundation can we, or SHOULD we, survive!