To Understand Someone, You Must Become Them

Monalisa Johnson spent 60 days undercover in jail to understand what her incarcerated daughter is experiencing. Before having a family member incarcerated, Monalisa knew little about the prison and jail systems and was not always confident in law enforcement.

Monalisa’s view on those incarcerated used to be ‘once a criminal, always a criminal’ and she often thought to herself, “they will never change”. She points out this is embarrassing to admit, but it is a mindset of many Americans.

 

When Monalisa asked her daughter “what is going on in there (jail)”, the answers she got were unfathomable. But, when she was presented with the opportunity to see what was happening, she found everything to be true.

Mass incarceration is killing us spiritually,  financially, and socially. It costs 80 billion dollars a year to keep 2.5 million Americans behind bars. If 77% of those incarcerated are coming back into our society, they are going to affect our neighborhoods; it is time to think differently. We should think about how prisoners can come out rehabilitated and reformed.

If you were to wake up tomorrow and were told you have no money, no place to go, and no one to ask, what would you do? How would you be a productive member of society? This is what it is like when incarcerated people are released.

What can we do? We can remove the stigma and talk honestly about it. It is the dirty and dark subject that is pushed under the rug far too often. This is a problem we need to find a solution for.

Will you be the change?

 

Thank you Monalisa for sharing your moving story, to learn more watch HERE