to answer some questions for everyone...

Hey guys! Well, for me, day three was all about research. I looked into the current prison system, and found a lot of useful information for us about who, what, how, and what's currently being done. 

First off, there was the question of how fair this was. I researched what the workload was like for many prisoners, and came across the amount of work they currently do. Most medically able prisoners are a part of a program called the FPI, or federal prison industries. This program allows prisoners to work as orderlies, plumbers, painters, and gardeners among the prison grounds for anywhere between 12-40 cents an hour, or work in local factories for between 23 cents to $1.15 an hour. That raises the question of, if the prisoners are being given the freedom to go work in factories, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume they would be permitted to work at construction sites? I think that points towards our program even more :]

Another thing I discovered while researching today was the way the juvenile detention system works. Juvenile detention centers are built to mimick the children's homes as much as possible, and the goal of the centers is to prep the children for being more responsible adults and functioning members of society once they are released. In my opinion, all the more reason to give them a way to give back to the community!

My next order of buisness... find out who to contact to get this kind of program implemented in current penitentiaries. Once again, thanks to everyone for reading, and be sure to tune in again tomorrow!

Goodnight, moon

Catherine

And... as we begin day two...

Thanks for all the positive support, and constructive criticism i recieved yesterday, either through a comment or an outside source. Things like that, telling me you believe in this or what i need to refine to make it more believable, are the things i need to hear to make this idea become a reality. Keep spreading the word, though- the more people we tell about this kind of thing, the easier it will be to get new ideas instilled into our current systems.

 For today's message, I'd like to address some points that Dr. K brought up. First off, they said that they would feel uneasy about having prisoners such as rapists and murderers loose on the community while performing their service projects. I agree wholeheartedly with their concern- there's a reason these people were locked up away from society in the first place. That being said, I do believe that with security, such as the security they use for the trash collection, this can be possible. But, that being said, I'm very glad that Dr. K brought that issue up. As of the moment, I hadn't gotten far enough into the planning as to have thought of that issue, and I'm very glad to have that idea!

Another thing someone brought up was the issue of cost. Sir Alexanderr asked me last night how I planned to find the funding for this. Good question- as of the moment, I really don't have any idea. That's something I'd like to have some help coming up with ideas for- I'm going to be doing some research of my own, but does anyone out there have any ideas for how to get sufficient funding for security, building and repair supplies, and transportation for the inmates? Dr. K suggested taking away the funding that pays for the inmates to have luxuries such as baby grand pianos, gyms, and televisions... does that sound fair to you? Would you rather find another source of funding? I'm not exactly sure how the finances in prisons are distributed, but anyone who knows something or has a suggestion, feel free to add to  my research. Everyone makes a difference here, and i want to know your opinions!

That's all for today, but remember- keep following, keep sending me ideas, either through here or my email- highnotehello@aol.com, and remember- everyone can make a difference!

Until tomorrow,

Catherine

Welcome to the Chain Link Movement!

Hey guys! 

Well, to start off, my name's Catherine. I'm not a HUGE activist (not a veggie, not really a protestor), but I am a firm believer that our world has some serious problems that need fixing. I was discussing that with my friend, Stel, and asked him what he thought we should do to try and make the world a better place, and he came up with the basic concept for Chain Links- in essence, Chain Links is the idea that prisoners shouldn't spend all their time locked up. Rather, Stel recommended that programs are put in place to put prisoners to community work- and not just picking up trash, either. As much as we want a cleaner, greener planet, there is so much more to be done out there. Our idea is to put prisoners to work making our communities better places to be- put them to work building houses, or painting walls and highways to cover graffiti, building our roads, fixing up schools in the summer. In our opinion, this will serve our communities in multiple ways- 

First, the most obvious improvement to the community will be the one right in front of our faces- new houses, schools, roads, cleaner walls, stronger fences. Already, our country has thousands of volunteers who do this work without being asked to, but that's not enough. Why not make these people who have tried to take away from society be the ones to make it better? 

Second, by having these men and women (and hopefully children- I'm aiming to implement the painting of walls and overall brightening of communities aspect of this movement in juvenile centers) work together to build something better, we are giving these people both a sense of teamwork and a sense of mattering, a real feeling of importance. I believe, along with Stel, that a lot of criminals feel unimportant in society, and will probably leave prison without a true sense of having accomplished something during their time served. Why not give them the sense of having done something positive to make up for their wrongs? 

Lastly, this will show children who might have joined gangs or gotten involved in crime due to a feeling that they couldn't do anything right that they can do something for the world, and hopefully push the volunteering movements among society as well.

This is still just a newborn idea that i've set on it's feet. Anyone who has any ideas, questions, concerns, comments for me, just leave them. I'm truly interested in anything that you have to say! I'll be posting on this almost daily... so keep checking for updates, and if you want me to answer your questions personally, please leave an email address so I know how to get in touch with you.

Thanks for listening!

Until tomorrow,

Catherine