#previously incarcerated

[sonsandbrothers]

Remember Prop 47? Nearly 200K felonies have been reduced to misdemeanors in CA. This means more people have access to the building blocks of a decent life: housing, education and employment. Folks can still take advantage of opportunities provided by Prop 47 before the November 2022 deadline. Tag someone to spread the word! http://desert.sn/2hxvXho

[wordwender]

Reaping the Whirlwind

Over 2.2 million people are currently in prison in this “land of the free.” But these people do not exist in a vacuum. It is estimated that 2.7 million children in the United States have a parent in prison or jail, or 1 in every 28. Then there are the parents of those incarcerated and their brothers and sisters. These are millions of people carrying terrible burdens of sorrow, finical hardship, and social disruption.

We also have the estimate that 5.1% of all persons in the U.S. will spend some time in prison during their lifetimes. Which means many millions will be released into a society that does not want them around.

And what might happen with many millions of people suffering from desperation, helpless rage, and legislative indifference? I think they might turn to anything that would lessen their pain. I think they might turn to alcohol or drugs. So, while the experts franticly search for the causes of our present opioid crisis, they would do well to consider mass incarceration as a major contributor.