Breaking Into Prison

I was lunching in a restaurant owned by a long time Chinese friend of mine, although we saw each other very rarely, as his restaurant is quite some distance from my home. I inquired after his father, whose name I read in the newspaper one day for having killed his 2nd wife and had been in prison for the last few years. Amazingly, my friend told me he's still locked up, but had been happier than ever!!

How strange and sad today's world is, that even a prison seems to be preferable to some than to live life a free man, to be exposed to loneliness, desperation, social and financial problems and countless other factors, real or imaginary. Even though this was not the case of my friend's father, but loneliness was; no relatives, no friends due to lack of knowledge of Spanish. Bad news seems the norm of the day these days, I still feel shocked each and every time I hear or see what I think is totally illogical incidents or crimes, committed out of human character and behaviour.

My friend's father is much happier in prison where he has all his days well organised and planned for, good and adequate food served 3 times a day, plus a snack at mid afternoon as is the Spanish custom, called "Merienda"; plenty of company, exercise and entertainment, medical assistance always at hand, even computer if you have been a good boy and earned your privilege. He declared that he was happy to stay as long as he could convince the authority to let him. The illogical and tragic point is, that he is not the only one, definitely odd to say the least.

Another 64 year old Spanish man who had been in hospital for the past couple of years had been declared cured and fit to leave. The day before he killed his roommate, another long-term patient, a 83 year old man. He immediately and calmly admitted the crime and said that he had no choice but to commit a serious crime so as to "earn" the right to be locked up. He has no family, no friends, nowhere to go, and impossible to get a job at his age.

Makes you wonder doesn't it? How many crimes, big or small, are committed on the sole purpose of being sent to jail where they can at least expect food and lodging? What kind of society do we have that prison becomes a solution for poverty or loneliness?

Or is the outside world, the free and democratic one, the one supposedly provides a safe environment and protects it's members from harm and desperation, more frightening and demoralizing than that of a prison, where they are indeed being watched over, their daily basic needs provided for, their health being checked and attended to, their human rights rigidly upheld, even though they are thieves, robbers, falsifiers, swindlers, gangsters, delinquents, rapists, terrorists and murderers?

Even the mentality of such people is in question. It's just not natural or normal. Why has the world become so scary to them? Is anybody or anything, the society, the constitution system that had failed to educate these people to more positive thinking? That they need self help and not rely on being supported throughout their lives?

As usual I have more questions than answers!

Tags:questions,answers,prison

Current Mood: Blah