Prison Journalism: Pray for liberation and healingThabo Mthembu was incarcerated in Pollsmoor Prison from 2014 to 2019. Read Thabo's story
by Thabo Mthembu
09-05-2024 09:44
in Prison Journalism
Prison
Image by unsplash
The world, with all its challenges, often leaves us grappling with unseen forces, struggling to find clarity and purpose of life.
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Guidance and awakening Please guide your creation. Guide your creation to a point where they may learn to make use of your gift that you have blessed us all with. May we use this gift as wisely as we can, as we all find ourselves captive in this world, whether we know it or not. Truly awaken our awareness of our power, otherwise known as choice. May we make use of this power wisely against a system that keeps us all captive, preventing us from prospering and living fully fulfilled, functional lives. The system is so well-hidden and operational.
May we break the bonds and effects it has on all of our lives. No longer will it be normal for our youth to fill prison cells, nor for the cycle of captivity and trauma to go untreated. No longer will we live in homes that resemble prison cells. No longer will we refuse to listen to each other and actually hear one another. May you, oh higher power, take precedence over our lives.
The system I was born in 1980, so I've had a long time to reflect on the world I live in. As a Coloured or a Black person, it was normal to see prisons filled with people like us. Then things started to change, becoming harder, and white people and other ethnic groups began falling prey to the system as well. Gangsterism and crime have become so normal that even the media has popularised it.
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Trauma Trauma is the inevitable outcome of crime, as perpetrators and victims alike suffer unimaginable distress that needs to be studied and treated. Trauma has a ripple effect that rarely has a positive outcome when it comes to fostering positive social growth.
Path forward In order for us as a nation to move forward, we need to find healing, as the ripple effect of trauma is real. There is an increase in substance abuse, and crime is rampant. The term ethical seems to have become a myth.
DISCLAIMER: Submission published as received
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Should you wish to assist in the rehabilitation of former inmates and help put money into the pockets of those who have struggled to earn a living during and after incarceration, click HERE
This project in collaboration with RESTORE currently works with formerly incarcerated young men in the communities.
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Prison Journalism: Pray for liberation and healingThabo Mthembu was incarcerated in Pollsmoor Prison from 2014 to 2019. Read Thabo's story
