Comment

Comment by Roxanne Greschner on October 27, 2012 at 1:58am

Hello I am old but new to this group. I have been a Buddhist for a very long time. I hope that you are well in health and spirit. I have been a Prison Abolitionist for 44 years. I am a working member on the net for the innocence project, and many other groups and the head of several committees and a foundation. I am 58 years old and have dedicated my life to Prison Abolitionism, and Human Rights. Namaste to you, and much Metta. 

Comment by Joseph Wolfe on October 26, 2011 at 9:34am

Ex-P & teacher of A C I M. For years, I've been sending free copies of inspirational books to prisoners.Please visit SpiritLightOutreach.org

Comment by Christina Florez_Barnes on August 16, 2010 at 4:44pm

Juanita,
Thank you for your reading suggestions (bowing). I especially appreciate the reminder to breathe and offer service.
I will meditate with intention for your son.

Christina

Comment by Christina Florez_Barnes on August 16, 2010 at 4:42pm

Bill,
I started with many books but I was impressed by Eckhart Tolle; presence is an incredible doorway to empowerment. In my meditation classes we read Chogyam Trungpa and Pema Chodron, also very powerful.
I am also working on sound healing. David Ison's "Musical Body" is designed open and heal blocks in the chakra system. My experience with Corrections and the "justice" system opened my eyes and heart to a need for my personal healing and spiritual growth. I have had to assess my own prejudices and projections.

Christina

Comment by Juanita Rice on August 16, 2010 at 4:04pm

For our loved ones in prison I'd like to suggest additional reading that can be helpful especially when they don't have regular spiritual support while emprisoned and doubly especially when they don't have family nearby to visit regularly. A book I highly recommend is Bo Lozoff's "We're All Doing Time." Lozoff's Prison Ashram project is another service group for prisoners. The two emphases of his book are getting in touch with your truth/s through meditation and prayer, and service to others. As in AA, this emphasis on service often provides a breakthrough for prisoners. And for us. When things get really bad, breathe deeply and do something for someone else.

My son, now 33, will be in prison into his early 50s if he can't get parole, and I will almost certainly not be alive. Two years ago, however, he was serving a life-without-parole sentence, however.

If your loved one is medically compromised, call the state director of prisons, wardens, senators. Does Oregon have an ombudsman program? Through various online programs can you find someone who could visit when you can't?

I send every one of you, those who comment and those who just look, my very deepest bow: "The Buddha in me sees the Buddha in you." Or call it higher power, or Christ. The Noble Self.
Juanita

Comment by bruce michaels on August 16, 2010 at 10:39am

I've stayed away from this site as I didn't want to get into the feeling up helplessness of having my son in prison. Whenever I thought of writing to this site all the thoughts of the injustice that had been done to my son would start to come up. I don't like to be negative about life. Shortly after my son and I will refer to him as Bud was sent up my daughter committed suicide. That put both Bud and myself into deep grieving. In some ways it was harder on him than me as I had a memorial about his sister and I had friends and relatives to talk to.

I live in the East and my sons prison is in Oregon. It is out in the boondocks and is very difficult to get to. I couldn't afford the money to fly out there stay in a motel and visit him for once or twice.

I was able to set up a virtual phone with Vonage close to the prison and started using this virtual phone to talk to him and I went on intensive writing program to send him snail mail every week. We talked a lot about spirituality. He was open to thinking about Buddhism and the Tao. Together we worked on certain things. He talked about his dreams and I tried to help him to interpret them. His stay in prison was more difficult as he is a brittle diabetic and Oregon being on the verge of bankruptcy is not too good at treating the prisoners with good health care. He has lost several toes due to infections. However I didn't want to talk about the bad stuff. What is happened that is good is my son over the past three years has made so much progress in his art. He is an artist and I was able to sell some of his art to a gallery that handles a great deal of art. He is also made a great deal of progress in the area of accepting responsibility for himself.we have became closer then we were ever. Our relationship has changed from one of despair to one of celebration. I have learned from him as well as him learning from me.

Comment by b.broekema@sympatico.ca on August 16, 2010 at 8:42am

Christina:
The divorce I know would hurt. No one can do with out support in life.
I have spent several years in the prison for women in Kingston Ontario until it closed. Corrections Canada now have 5 smaller prisons for women all over Canada.
The volunteers there have been doing good work.And many programs as well.
I look forward to hearing more about your travels.
Bill

Comment by Christina Florez_Barnes on August 15, 2010 at 11:57pm

Bill,
Thank you. My journey has been spiritual. This challenge opened my heart to compassion. I admire your work. I am sure you have been a blessing to those families.

I have found no support until I found PDN. In fact, I was divorced and kicked in the rear to find a new life direction. So, here I am.....

Christina

Comment by b.broekema@sympatico.ca on August 15, 2010 at 8:55pm

Hi Christina
I have been working with families and doing chapel services in Corrections Canada
for over 30years. The family suffers and it is important that families pull together.
I hope to hear more of your restoration plans.
Bill

Comment by Christina Florez_Barnes on August 15, 2010 at 2:22pm

My son was charged as an adult at the age of 15 for sexual assult. Hopefully, if I find a job and a place to live he can live with me in November. He will always be labeled a sex-offender. He has worked diligently to heal and change, I pray he can meet his challenges.
Sex-offenders are pariah. They are the lepers of our society. However, they are human beings too. The research in this area is minimal. Fear and reaction is as high to them as terrorists.

Such has been my heart's pain.

I love my son and went to see him almost every weekend in a city that is 50 miles away, for the last 5 years. I will always love him.

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