Hope

The punishment regime in the United States can be clearly seen as an institution that isn’t without fault. The fact remains that the system that is entact today is one that doesn’t take in consideration or the importance of families of the convicted; creating a whole new group of people that suffer because of the way in which we as a society administer punishment. Inspired by the story of Hope Meadows, a community that built on the foundations of support to one another with adoption of the special needs kids (children with medical difficulties or children cycled through the foster care system), I propose a similar solution to the lack of support that families of the incarcerated by building a community alike.

Hope Meadows is a wonderfully created community in Rantoul, Illinois. The concept is quite simple: a foster-like community where couples or families move in and eventually care for or adopt children that are in need of homes and love desperately. The community includes a large support system of seniors, who are loving grandparents. These children are often and heavily abused mentally, physically or sexually within the failing foster care system. The community is set up extensively to give support to everyone involved. The NBC video report below explains further along with Hope Meadows’ website.

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/at-hope-meadows-it-takes-a-village/6n9ta6b

http://www.generationsofhope.org/hope-meadows/

So for the solution of the families of the incarcerated, a community-based program and community would be able supply a better support system to survive. These families are continuously suffering with the loss of their loved during imprisonment. It would also include the senior help because with the growing number of seniors every year, this would provide a more positive solution.

Donald Braman’s book, Doing Time on the Outside; Incarceration and Family Life in Urban America, essentially outlines their problems further. Braman identifies the material and social consequences of incarceration on families as a significant problem of our punishment regime. Material consequences are the losses that families suffer as a result of incarceration, such new clothes or book bag for the children. Social consequences include the fact that once a family has become affiliated with a known offender, others may potentially be inclined to not associate with anyone who may be involved with the proposed offender. These consequences result in much pain and suffering for these families, which is then in return passed generationally which continues these problems. I think that this solution of a community program based on supporting each other during difficult times is the best to alleviate these externalities of our prison regime.