8 ms·

Prisoners Who Care for the Dying and Get Another Chance at Life

63 points by dsr12 8y ago

nappy-doo 8y ago
In response to recent elections, I have a friend who decided to counter hate with love and began volunteering in prison. Mostly, it's prayer groups, bible discussions and the like. His strength is something I value, and something I'm not sure I can replicate. It reminds me of a time when I went to a school in Philadelphia for foster children. These children were between foster homes, generally because they were abused in previous situations. Some of these kids were borderline feral; one, who had been set afire by previous foster parents, was one of the most balanced and normal kids I ever met. Probably, much like hospice care for the workers in this story, that experience has stuck with me. I don't have any real comment, just that I hope these inmates find peace. Both the caregivers, and the cared for. I'm glad both are there for each other.
- phamjamstudio 8y ago
  Thanks for sharing your friend's story. I know someone who used to be in a gang; I spent a lot of time trying to help him toward a better life incl. bible studies, prayer, providing guidance on difficult topics, etc. Unfortunately it's very hard to unshackle from that life and I imagine your friend probably encountered much difficulty trying to help the folks in prison. Even if you don't feel like you can replicate his efforts, I'm sure you can do small (or big) things to support him or initially volunteer in an area you're more comfortable with.
- ggg9990 8y ago
  Why not volunteer for the victims of crimes instead of for the perpetrators?
  - vkou 8y ago
    I imagine it's because most people would rather do just that.
  - Fnoord 8y ago
    I'd agree on a grand scale the primary focus should be there first but perpetrators are, in a way, victims as well. Even if you disagree (which is fair enough) they're still human beings.
    - ggg9990 8y ago
      Perpetrators are in a way victims like I am in a way a basketball superstar who never really reached his potential
      - Fnoord 8y ago
        Yes, because cause and effect isn't so clear. A child who got molested might end up traumatized and end up as a predator themselves. Or become a victim later in life once more because he/she attracts them. The question is in the why. What happened that someone committed a crime? And was the crime that awful to begin with? Wozniak and Jobs did phone phreaking in the 70s. Didn't get busted, but only because the cop didn't recognize a blue box. Something simple such as cannabis isn't decriminalized in the USA yet, yet the prisons are full with cheap labour... I mean, prisoners who possessed or sold cannabis. In my country, guns are pretty much illegal, and cannabis is decriminalized. The amount of robberies and shootings on schools is near 0. The amount of people in jail due to cannabis is also near 0. Talk about creating basketball players out of nothing.
notafraudster 8y ago
The article frames this as an act of strange mercy (that prisoners volunteer at a prison hospice). But as someone not born in the US (although I live here), the existence of a prison hospice with any great number of patients strikes me as an act of unspeakable cruelty. Someone in end-stage palliative care is no risk to society or their victims. The vast majority of those there ought be subject to a compassionate release so they can die with dignity in the care of their family. I cannot fathom that any OECD country besides America would ever have a system like this.
- Spooky23 8y ago
  This is probably more compassionate. On the outside, they’d be admitted to a hospital ER for some acute condition, then funneled to a county run nursing home or one in the hospitals’ network that needed bodies badly enough to accept a Medicaid patient. If the patient were male, that might be far away from family as no facility wants to be stuck with a male Medicaid patient. If the patient were older, they would do a little better as the initial Medicare reimbursements are higher.
  - Archio 8y ago
    >no facility wants to be stuck with a male Medicaid patient I'm curious, can you elaborate as to why that is?
    - joncrane 8y ago
      It seemed highly likely to me because Medicaid's reimbursement rates are very low.
      - LeifCarrotson 8y ago
        I understand that Medicaid rates are low, but why the male/female distinction?
        bilbo0s 8y ago
sparky_ 8y ago
Somewhat misleading title, I think - the phrase "Get another chance at life" implied to me there was perhaps some clemency involved; that does not appear to be the case after reading the article.

63 points by dsr12 8y ago

In response to recent elections, I have a friend who decided to counter hate with love and began volunteering in prison. Mostly, it's prayer groups, bible discussions and the like. His strength is something I value, and something I'm not sure I can replicate. It reminds me of a time when I went to a school in Philadelphia for foster children. These children were between foster homes, generally because they were abused in previous situations. Some of these kids were borderline feral; one, who had been set afire by previous foster parents, was one of the most balanced and normal kids I ever met. Probably, much like hospice care for the workers in this story, that experience has stuck with me. I don't have any real comment, just that I hope these inmates find peace. Both the caregivers, and the cared for. I'm glad both are there for each other.

phamjamstudio 8y ago
Thanks for sharing your friend's story. I know someone who used to be in a gang; I spent a lot of time trying to help him toward a better life incl. bible studies, prayer, providing guidance on difficult topics, etc. Unfortunately it's very hard to unshackle from that life and I imagine your friend probably encountered much difficulty trying to help the folks in prison. Even if you don't feel like you can replicate his efforts, I'm sure you can do small (or big) things to support him or initially volunteer in an area you're more comfortable with.
ggg9990 8y ago
Why not volunteer for the victims of crimes instead of for the perpetrators?
- vkou 8y ago
  I imagine it's because most people would rather do just that.
- Fnoord 8y ago
  I'd agree on a grand scale the primary focus should be there first but perpetrators are, in a way, victims as well. Even if you disagree (which is fair enough) they're still human beings.
  - ggg9990 8y ago
    Perpetrators are in a way victims like I am in a way a basketball superstar who never really reached his potential
    - Fnoord 8y ago
      Yes, because cause and effect isn't so clear. A child who got molested might end up traumatized and end up as a predator themselves. Or become a victim later in life once more because he/she attracts them. The question is in the why. What happened that someone committed a crime? And was the crime that awful to begin with? Wozniak and Jobs did phone phreaking in the 70s. Didn't get busted, but only because the cop didn't recognize a blue box. Something simple such as cannabis isn't decriminalized in the USA yet, yet the prisons are full with cheap labour... I mean, prisoners who possessed or sold cannabis. In my country, guns are pretty much illegal, and cannabis is decriminalized. The amount of robberies and shootings on schools is near 0. The amount of people in jail due to cannabis is also near 0. Talk about creating basketball players out of nothing.

notafraudster 8y ago

The article frames this as an act of strange mercy (that prisoners volunteer at a prison hospice). But as someone not born in the US (although I live here), the existence of a prison hospice with any great number of patients strikes me as an act of unspeakable cruelty. Someone in end-stage palliative care is no risk to society or their victims. The vast majority of those there ought be subject to a compassionate release so they can die with dignity in the care of their family. I cannot fathom that any OECD country besides America would ever have a system like this.

Spooky23 8y ago
This is probably more compassionate. On the outside, they’d be admitted to a hospital ER for some acute condition, then funneled to a county run nursing home or one in the hospitals’ network that needed bodies badly enough to accept a Medicaid patient. If the patient were male, that might be far away from family as no facility wants to be stuck with a male Medicaid patient. If the patient were older, they would do a little better as the initial Medicare reimbursements are higher.
- Archio 8y ago
  >no facility wants to be stuck with a male Medicaid patient I'm curious, can you elaborate as to why that is?
  - joncrane 8y ago
    It seemed highly likely to me because Medicaid's reimbursement rates are very low.
    - LeifCarrotson 8y ago
      I understand that Medicaid rates are low, but why the male/female distinction?
      - bilbo0s 8y ago

sparky_ 8y ago

Somewhat misleading title, I think - the phrase "Get another chance at life" implied to me there was perhaps some clemency involved; that does not appear to be the case after reading the article.