I am reblogging this, and I know I may catch hell for doing so. But I have my reasons.
I am a convicted felon. I didn’t do prison time, but I’ve done long enough stretches of county time to know I didn’t want to go any further.
I encourage you to take some time (it is a rather long), read the post, watch the video, then comment.
Be encouraged!
Ronald Day at his home in the Bronx, during a Father’s Day barbeque, held on June 17, 2012 in New York City. © Ed Kashi/VII Photo.
Inside and out of prison, people may think that to keep ones head down, survive America’s overly punitive prisons, and wait for release is enough. Unfortunately, it is not; for those looking to reenter society new struggles emerge. Each year 700,000 men, women and children are released from prisons and jails to face modern day laws and attitudes that marginalize them and limit their abilities to build new lives.
New York based non-profit Think Outside The Cell, a young but impressively effective organization, is bringing light to the struggles of former prisoners.
“The issue of stigma is not discussed enough but it is the issue of our time. The effects are so widely felt,” says Sheila Rule, Think Outside The Cell co-founder…
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LifeRevelation 
There lies the problem with making those kind of mistakes – they follow you for the rest of your life. The trouble with breaking trust (and they have broken society’s trust) is that it is incredibly hard to win back. If we could develop ways to help ex offenders build trust, we would be on our way to giving them an equal footing. If 10 people turn up for a job interview for a security guard position and one has been in prison – it’s human nature to exclude them from the short list because they have ‘proved’ to be untrustworthy in the past. Whereas the other 9 still retain their eligibility for trust. I don’t what the answer is. I wish I did.
Same here Stuart, I have lived it and still don’t know what he answer is…after 25 years of living the “straight” life…just a few days ago a woman, speaking to someone that she didn’t know was a friend of mine, said, “Stephen is just a con.”
You try and try and try, but at some point you have to accept it is always with you.
Be encouraged!
The problem is not one individual. The problem is our culture’s acceptance of the powers that be that get away with lying, cheating, and killing. The problems is how we educate our children through role culture “modeling.” What a joke.
Couldn’t agree more…but somehow…be encouraged!
Thank you sooooooooooooo much for this post. I applaud your courage and desire to make a better life for all. Keep on going.
Well thank you for your kind and gracious words, but really you are the one who deserves all the compliments…thank you so much for for this post…when we shine the light it dispels the darkness…you are the best.
Be encouraged!