Imprisonment is not only about spending years in jail, it is also about living the rest of the life with the guilt. Naturally, this is enough punishment for an individual. Well, many feel that the guilty deserves the suffering. But many a times, the suffering goes beyond the guilty; it affects their families as well. Often, the children and the other members of the family of a prisoner are socially marginalized. That is obviously extremely painful for them to withstand. As a result, many of them keep the fact of incarceration a secret. They hope that this will allow their children to live freely. Otherwise, those little souls have to face the sharp fingers and dizzy whispers raised against them. However, no one will say that they deserve it. For, they have not committed any mistake. So what should they feel guilty about? Unfortunately, both the society and the correctional system consider them as mere liabilities. But this should not be the case. In fact, one of the most effective means to clamp down the recidivism is to bring the family into consideration. Records reveal that 90% convicts will come back from their imprisonment. When they will learn about the support their family has got from others, it can transform them as well. One should consider that a family is the smallest unit of the nation. Being so, it deserves the help of the other and the society at large. If that is not the case, it would naturally fail and the failure of the family would naturally, reflect upon the neighborhood and then the city and thus subsequently on the nation. Perhaps, Mamie Bradley put it in the right words when she said if it is taking place with one of the people, it should be considered by all. Well, she was talking about the murder of her child Emmett. Unfortunately, very few of us seem to have responded to that call. The families of the guilty still suffer the outrage of the society. Let alone social support, they have to face severe stigma from the rest of the society. But, for the wellbeing of the nation this systemic oppression should be stopped immediately. People must understand the hardship that the families are going through. Only then one can be sympathetic towards the pains of others. This will bind us with the bond of humanity. After all, this is the true meaning of community. Each people should help others only then he or she can expect help as well. At the same time, we must learn to realize the help of others that everyone must have got to reach where they are. In fact, it is this mutual help that has made out civilization so very progressive. Saidiana is an organization that stands by the families in distress. They interact with the families affected by incarceration. They have launched a program to make people realize that the families of the guilty should not suffer with the person, because this in turn leads to the suffering of the family. They gather such families together along with the willing people as they interact and help each other.
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Imprisonment is not only about spending years in jail, it is also about living the rest of the life with the guilt. Naturally, this is enough punishment for an individual. Well, many feel that the guilty deserves the suffering. But many a times, the suffering goes beyond the guilty; it affects their families as well.
Doris I. Mangrum is author of this article on Helping Other People. Find more information about Supporting Our Fellowman here.
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