The Rabbi's Unpleasant Day at the Visiting Park

A guest post from The Rabbi:

Recently I had the uncomfortable and unpleasant experience of going to the visiting park with my family during one of the department's "brain child" ideas on how to get involved with kids who have an incarcerated parent.

First, a mandatory viewing of the Sesame Street video that all inmates had to watch was played.  Now at first glance one might say "WOW!".  A huge non-profit organization like Sesame Street is involved....it's got to be positive, right?   Well, read on and you be the judge of the first-hand experience I had.

It started as soon as visitor's pulled into the compound.  The suited stiff's were there to meet and greet our loved ones.  People our loved ones would generally never see or talk to (especially if it involved the well being of said incarcerated parent).  Our loved ones were in the visiting park before 8 a.m., which never happens!  Once everyone was filed in, they forced you to listen to someone you didn't know, talk about their "free" family, and how they really cared for family of inmates while camera flashes were non stop!  Catching all the suited higher ups in all their glory!  (Can you say PHOTO OPP!)

Because that is what this amounted to....they forced our families, some of whom traveled miles to see their loved one.  They robbed us of our time together.  Then, once they finished that they played the video for the children to watch.....further trying to lure away the kids from the only real time they spend with their incarcerated parent.

At one point, the warden himself came to our table and asked if my stepdaughter wanted to go up front and watch the movie.  When she said no (she's 5 years old), he looked genuinely puzzled and confused until I explained to him that she is scared of Sesame Street characters.

See....even though I'm incarcerated I make it my business to know thing about my kids.  Their likes and dislikes.  So how is someone in a suit up in Tallahassee going to tell me more about my kids than me?  I was disappointed with the whole ordeal and pissed that my family was subjected to this against their will.

If the department really wants to do something to make it easier on kids who have a parent in prison, how about also making a friendlier child environment both in and on the outside.  The issue is that the parent is in prison, right?  So...when a child comes to visit, an innocent child, you have to ask yourself do you really want to taint your child's mind with information that when the time is right he/she will ask about anyways?  Isn't that the point of the Sesame Street program?  That when your child is asking questions, there is a program in place to help if you see fit?   

Maybe it's me, but when I see this issue, I see it through all perspectives.  Not just through an office window.   I mean as it stands, the department expects you (the reader) and me (the parent) to believe that they want to help the children of those who are incarcerated.  If the department of corrections really wants to help the children of those who are incarcerated, they might consider providing hands-on job training and job placement upon release instead of 50 bucks and a boot in the ass as you go out the door.  (And simply using the Sesame Street program for a big photo opp!)

I'm insulted and I feel as thought they have insulted your intelligence by exposing you to this.