Any day now, "Chris" is free.

I just received a call from "Chris." He seemed tired and restless after a long weekend couped up with no sunshine and no lunch.  That's right, NO lunch.  This particular prison does not feed inmates lunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.  So inmates hopefully have someone on the outside who will put money in their commissary accounts so they can buy very unhealthy snacks at prison store to get their rumbly tummies through the weekend.  I guess it's the State's way of pushing some of the cost of housing prisoners back on the families (many of which can barely afford to eat anyway now that the breadwinner is locked up).  And I've learned a bit about JPay too.  It costs $4.95 to send $20.00 to an inmate!  That's 25%!!  It seems like having someone you care about in prison is quite an expensive thing to navigate.  One day on the phone with "Chris" I was expressing worry about his ability to survive on the outside during his first few weeks of freedom...his very quick reply was that it would have to be easier than trying to survive in there.   If there is no one on the outside sending you money, then you're pretty much stuck with nothing to trade.  If you have nothing to trade for favors, then it can seem pretty hopeless.  I've seen first hand in the ER I work in what hopeless looks like.  It looks like ligature marks and dead bodies.  No wonder the rate of suicide in prison is so much higher than "outside" in the rest of the world.  In "Chris's" mind, he's survived the worst of it already.  He'll eat dirt if he has to.  He just wants to see the sky, his family, and have a chance to make it on his own.

I should have posted this weekend, but was busy! We shuffled around in the kitchen and baked up some goodies to sell to raise some emergency funds for "Chris" because he's due out any day after October 1st.  Our bake sale netted $42. We already had $33.50 in cash donations.  So we are right at $75 which is not enough to get him comfortable on the outside.  He's our first parolee so we want to make it count, but when I initially made contact with him I had no idea that he'd be out in less than a month.  I have MUCH to learn about the correctional system!  So, please click on that Paypal link and send money for him.  It's in my name until we officially get the non-profit status, but I swear to goodness that you can trust me.  I'm keeping a detailed list of all contributors and the dollars amounts. If you cannot afford to donate, please at least share or promote this blog!  Thank you!