Humanity for Prisoners

I’m writing this piece late on Sunday. One more time, Pope Francis prompts these comments.   The pope was in a women’s prison in Venice today. The Holy See set up the Vatican Pavilion at the Biennale, one of the most prestigious events on the art world's calendar, inside the prison.   I’m not going to talk much about the art exhibit, except to tell you about the spectacular prison entrance. Persons walking through the opening gate encountered a wall mural, painted by Maurizio Cattelan, showing two giant filthy feet. The work, titled “Father,” recalls the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners!   More details about the art exhibit are available in various news sources. I want to focus on, not only the words of Pope Francis, but the example that he sets for the church, and for you and me.   The pope began his visit with a meeting with 80 women prisoners at the Giudecca Women’s Prison. Pope Francis, pushed in a whee

What a surprise (and an honor!) when an activist organist in England contacted me recently. Reprieve, a human rights group that opposes the death penalty, had heard of my personal experience in witnessing an execution. The resulting interview,  with a panel of researchers in another country via Zoom, was most interesting!   My feelings about the death penalty are well known, and I have posted numerous essays on this website regarding my 2007 experience in witnessing the execution of a friend and client.   But now about the new research.   The lengthy, in-depth report by Reprieve, made major news this week in the United States, both in the New York Times and National Public Radio!   The focus was on botched executions, and there was one statistic in particular that wasn’t anticipated. The research found, among other things, that Black people had 220% higher odds of suffering a botched lethal injection execution than white people!   That new insight just adds another way Black

Eighth Amendment, Bill of Rights: Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Prisons are a hot spot for violations of the 8 th Amendment!   Since I got into this prisoner advocacy business a few decades ago, I have seen flagrant examples of “cruel and unusual punishments.” It is not uncommon for HFP team members to deal with topics like---   -Solitary confinement -Medical care or lack thereof -Mental health issues -Excessive force -Sexual and psychological abuse Etc.   The 8 th Amendment has been our ammunition for fighting cruel and unusual punishment, but now I’m hearing that there’s a possibility that even this weapon might get weakened. Here’s a notice I received from the Marshall Project this week:   When the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson later this month, the justices will consider how far cities can go in policing homeless people. But just as the court sw

Some of my Hollander friends and I used to jokingly say that to friends who were not of Dutch descent.   On a more serious note, though, I’m saddened by the way we treat people who are not the same as we are. Daily we hear about attacks on Jews, Palestinians, Muslims, Blacks, gays, lesbians, transgender persons…and let’s not forget prisoners.   “Such then is the human condition, that to wish greatness for one's country is to wish harm to one's neighbors.” ― Voltaire   Today the hot topic is immigrants and migrants. In our neck of the woods, this has been fueled by a Kent County murder case involving a previously deported immigrant.   Donald Trump was in Grand Rapids yesterday to fuel the fire. We already know how he feels about these people. He charges that many are criminals from prisons, and recently he accused migrants — many of them women and children escaping poverty and violence — of “ poisoning the blood ” of America with drugs and disease. He even claimed some

Maurice Carter was a dear and gentle soul, and he carried no anger with him when released from prison after serving 29 years for a crime he did not commit. But he struggled with this idea of forgiveness.   He had a problem trying to forgive Wilbur Gillespie, who lied to police telling them that Maurice was the perp, in order to avoid major prison time for a drug arrest.   He had a problem trying to forgive off-duty police officer Tom Shadler, victim of the crime, who could not identify Maurice as the perp until two years later when his photo appeared with the notice of his arrest on the front page of the newspaper.   And I know he would struggle to forgive the crooked cops who framed him, an inept defense attorney who could have won, and the prosecutor who not only got a guilty verdict, but helped keep him behind bars for 29 years.   Years later, when I formed an organization called INNOCENT, which later became HUMANITY FOR PRISONERS, Marcia asked me how many people I knew who

To Roman Catholics and to Doug Tjapkes, March 25 is a special day. To most protestants, it’s just another day.   In the RC Church, today is considered the Feast Day of St. Dismas . And it’s based on a neat story in the Gospel according to Luke.   Dr. Luke explains that when Jesus was wrongfully convicted and executed on an old, rugged cross, there were two other guys on crosses, flanking him on each side. One of these thugs kept harassing Jesus: “ Are you not the Messiah?   Save yourself and us.”     The other criminal, however, was having second thoughts. He had words for his companion and a request to Jesus: “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”   Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”   Our Lord was touched by that request, and promptly responded: “Amen, I say to you, today