Photo by Laurie Jo Reynolds and Chris X. The prisoner requested a photo of himself in front of a blue sky.
My dear friend Jon forwarded me a link to this organization, YearTen.org, which chronicles life in solitary confinement for the men of Tamms CMAX, a super-prison in Illinois. For more than 10 years, many of these prisoners have been or are still living in tiny rooms, with no stimulation and no interaction. Their only salvation? Photographs.
I was moved by this idea and this organization. Perhaps you will be too – this is where you can help.
On the site, you can read the requests for pictures by the prisoners. Some ask for family photos, others ask for Jesus. Or, like the above picture, some want images of themselves dropped into a background that highlights hope, love, or something more. A few men just want something funny to look at. It’s strange to think about a photograph as a privilege, but when you’re denied everything else, a single image can be the difference between salvation and insanity.
If you want to pitch in (and maybe change someone’s life), join me in sending photos by following this link.
Change someone’s day, week, or life with a single image. Thanks.
Well, this year I had the opportunity to photograph the women inside the jail in Puebla, Mexico. The pourpouse of this was to give them for free a professional portrait with their kids and husbands who visit them on sundays. You should see how happy and grateful these families were! They were smiling, hugging each other and they wouldn’t stop thanking me! So I was really happy, helping these families that already are suffering enough. My purpose was to HELP not JUDGE..maybe you can do that too.
I don’t see why the prisoners need this “help”now. How about they stay where they are during the time of their incarceration and continue to be punished for the crime(s) that they have commited?
I have no issue whatsoever of providing a helping hand towards their rehabilitation (if they can be rehabilitated at all) after they have paid their dues, not during, not before, not instead of. They commited a crime, were caught, tried and convicted, sentenced and should complete the entire sentence.
I also don’t agree that they should be allowed to complete anything higher than a High School diploma while incarcerated. A High School diploma is certainly helpful for rehabilitating and since it is free to anyone anyway, this is not a bad thing. However I don’t think a convicted criminal should be afforded the luxury of a post secondary education while they are being punished, regardless of who is paying for it.
My $0.02,
As a 3rd year law student studying criminal law I had the opportunity to see TAMMS first hand. That was over 10 years ago.
Consider me the latest member of yearten.
Thanks for posting.
-D
Agreed – there are many others who are actually deserving of charity than murderers, rapists. Perhaps their victims…?
Definitely with Matt here… these guys don’t deserve the time of day.