I want to share today that the average cost of housing an inmate here in Kentucky for a year is – it’s around $25,000. But at 62 years old, I can definitely tell you that I cost more than that due to problems related to aging. It’s hard earned taxpayer money. It could be going towards schools and different programs that are going toward keeping a well, rehabilitated, reformed, no-threat-to-society person locked up well past what my sentence was 40 years ago. But— and there’s others in other states that’s facing the same outcomes from the parole boards, but they seem to only care about high profile cases, the poor, the gay, etcetera.
For 40 plus years I’ve seen people that they’ve made decisions to let go, have come back sometimes with even more felonies. But anybody can make a change and I understand that, at any given time. Good decision makers – I don’t think they’re, the Kentucky parole board is. But state funds could be better served in our communities, and our communities need second look laws because they need us. I could educate more parents. I could steer young people away from mistakes I made. I could share a testimony that shows what real faith, true repentance, and reform can do in a life. And I think that our society should want that for the next generation.
Not every long-term person, as I said before, is ready. They’ve not proven that they’re ready for a miracle or the privilege of a second chance, or they’ve even lived a life that their testimony can make a difference. But yet, th ere are many of us waiting for that. Several states have answered the call. Groups have called them to take second look law serious. In California, New York, Oklahoma, Washington, et cetera, they’ve all adopted successful second look law programs. Canada has their own too and it’s a wonderful model that the state of Kentucky and other states could go by.
I say thank you to all the states that are moving in a progressive, democratic manner, putting actions to their faith and actions to their words. Many families are also paying a price, like mine. Many young people are seeing that unforgiveness is our norm here in Kentucky. I’ve contributed to my community here for a lot of years, but I’ve also helped even people out there. I’ve shown that I could be helpful. The cost is financial. The cost is emotional. The cost is mental, and the cost is even spiritual. Yet the real cost is that our state does not reflect values of redemption or second chances. They seem to be expensive slogans, not actions. This is Karen sharing “The Cost.”
These commentaries are recorded by Prison Radio.
