Serious Reflections about Solitary Confinement in Prisons (Way too many who aren't even charged with a crime)...and more on 12/31/19

"Like most jails, three-quarters or more of inmates had not been convicted of a crime and yet spent months and sometimes years awaiting trial in isolation." That has huge implications for the public to consider. People can be arrested and held without having been convicted of a crime. When do kids learn this in school, or their parents or adults in general? In NYC there is a growing effort to not hold people who cannot make bail (Jail Without Bail) as much.

 I'll look more into this in 2020..but my bigger question is Why Doesn't Every State have an ongoing education campaign for all people to understand what can happen to anyone regarding legal matters that could in any way land someone in a mandated care or holding pattern? That could include having one's access to one's children removed or impacted, even with little to no evidence of harm .

 The latest data from Battered Mothers Custody Conference by Attorney Joan Meier indicates that domestic abuse victims lose custody to abusive fathers of their children 8 out 10 times...In addition another national study showed that 1 out of 3 people in the legal field are not clear or willing to advocate for victims of abuse. 

Basically while many people are being put away or having their children taken from them for questionable reasons, the people most at risk for harm are being abandoned and punished if not harmed or killed by the brokenness of the courts and societal systems. So there's plenty that needs out attention  and advocacy in 2020. 

As Marianne Williamson explores on numerous videos on her site which hopefully will stay online even if she has to withdraw from the Presidential candidacy race, helping a child and their family have basic needs for food, shelter, safety and education met can increase the odds of success and a brighter future for the country as well.

 Every child and family deserves support and that would include clarification of safety standards of care and not neglecting to supervise youth and even young adults. That is to help them not have a run in with the law (which can impact a family's finances and standing in a community but also result in arrests, and legal records for life in some states though some allow some offenses to be nollied (and taken off one's record.)

 Wrongful arrests and apologies would be a big step to mending a broken system but starting fresh with huge public education campaigns and ways for parents and others to monitor their children with accountability and  state guidelines for curfews, driving standards (disallowing road use during snowstorms etc, and discouraging people from driving in fog, thunderstorms and so on and even heavy rain by having places for people to park off of each exit and encouraging everyone to have books and supplies to camp out in their car should that be needed, for a few hours or overnight if it's not freezing cold) could be helpful.

 Many people are able to live in their cars for many reasons, so maybe we could 'go with that' in the future as a way to prevent houselessness...and provide people with a parked car to call their own..with a fence of some kind for privacy and a security camera and way for people to feel safe (guards, etc depending on the neighborhood, etc)

 There could be a central office for showers and public bathrooms but yes more talk about how to use a urinal and even more talk of recycling all natural materials to 'restore the ecological balance.' Maybe people in jail could learn about permaculture and ecology and find ways to form think tanks of helping people live amicably with one another and in various ecological settings (urban, rural, mountain, desert, and so on.)

 Growing small gardens and caring for animals are universal helpful things to learn about and then there is a realm of spiritual or energetic healing techniques and ideas for more people to consider. The prison population with time and people gathered in one place could help our world in many ways...meditating and otherwise appreciating the wondrous resource any human being is energetically... 

Many say leaning into the dream state (when asleep and as falling asleep and before waking up) with a sense of care for self and others, gratitude and connection with healing on all levels and being connected to nature and the earth and those in one's family and social circles with an eye toward a greater good and vision for learning about the human condition can pretty much heal a great deal.

 The more that is done by groups of people, the larger the outplaying. In rural areas with so few people, it may not take many working together to shift the balance. Each person needs to feel able to connect and so more groups promoting that sense of shared advocacy and support can help more people find others they can connect with socially and for specific basic needs and then more elaborate ones

. In many areas, the arts and creative endeavors are being supported to help people survive and thrive. The Berkshire Taconic Foundation is a great example for the country, yet being based to benefit those living in a specific area, the efforts stay local primarily. Ideally more bridging efforts could be made with communities with fewer resources or with more people, particularly through young families and schools collaborating. With the internet it seems every school could offer online teaching for everyone to benefit from. 

There could even be online guidance for doing homework and projects perhaps watching a group do all the assignments step by step and having that on video so people could pause and review and have math and such spelled out step by step. How hard can it be to teach kids to learn things when they learn languages so readily.

 Math and music are important to introduce early on as well to help build competency (singing, storytelling are great and do not have to be complicated...just speaking about the day's activities in review or sharing what one saw on a walk or even a show can help people fee more comfortable communicating. "Writing Is Thinking" was a tip shared in a local high school auditorium for years.

 There is right brain writing and left brain logical writing...and yes, I do a bit of each. Generally I try to hash out ideas so people can consider that and move onto another level. Unfortunately many get overwhelmed or otherwise dismissive of what is shared..sometimes just because I am writing it (how much sense That makes is a mystery and I tell people just read a little as you want..and come back later or have a friend consider the ideas.) All of that is also 'too much' so it would make sense to have a few organized readers and thinking hashing matters out and giving sound byte summaries...and see what may resonate. 

Otherwise people languish in solitary confinement of many kinds..and while many people feel ''its not their business or concern" many others feel they system is inadequate and even harmful, so there isn't a reason to accept the status quo. "Not on Our Shift" is a chant heard at many rallies whether for climate change action or trying to regain democracy in America (away from corporate take-overs which are essentially running the world now by many accounts..so it almost is a 'game over situation') What if the national prison situation is the kind of wake up call for our world...for us to consider the kind of prisons we may be in even that don't have bars. Many people do not speak due to legal recommendations or official court orders. Sometimes for safety that is necessary....and yes, that is often between people who cared for each other greatly (or at least one party did...) 

Whether both were Able to comprehend what a relationship really entailed (on many levels in terms of social, emotional, legal, financial, romantic, faith, intimate, bearing children or choosing not to, and many other long-term matters, parenting apart or with support from others versus primarily by one or both parents making that priority whether for weeks, months, years or decades,and discussing the kinds of separation that could be helpful with appropriate guidelines--short term whether for getting care, sobriety, support from others for parenting or learning new communications or self-care and reflection to avoid burn out from work, parenting, care-giving, or intense relationships etc..

. We really don't seem to have another driving the bUS for our country to help US All understand where we've been that has resulted in where we are now.

 The idea of reviewing our national or wider history and considering the impact that has had on our collective thinking and experiences, even our biology and DNA has not been explored. We keep being put on a faster hamster wheel and wonder why we may not feel we're getting anywhere even with more effort. Okay I will post this before it might get lost in cyber space. Hope this helps more than hurts...but if it's part of the Wake Up Call I hope we hear it loud and clear and take it to the next level to prevent more of the same or a biigger losing game. See more as you can and want, on livfully.org No pressure!