OUTSIDERS LOOKING IN
Excerpt 2 (From the Introduction)
No one has come right out and said they are now socially ostracized.
Its been a more subtle kind of strangulation: unreturned phone calls,
brief and awkward conversations on the street. Whats worse, though,
is whats happened to their marriage. All they ever talk about anymore
is THE CASE. Everything else, all gestures of tenderness and intimacy,
have been flattened by the weight of the impending trial . . .
Peter Blauner, The Intruder (a novel)
INTRODUCTION
This book is dedicated to the families and loved ones of
incarcerated men and women, in the hope it will give them an
understanding of problems they may encounter.
According to the Bureau of Justice statistics, more than
three out of every 100 American adults were in jail or prison or
on probation or parole in 1995. The United States imprisons
more of its citizens than any other nation, except Russia. Each
incarcerates over 600 per 100,000 population.
The perplexity of the court process, along with reports of
perils lurking in overcrowded institutions, set the stage for
confusion and fear. This cripples the family system, and makes
it difficult to develop suitable strategies for the future of the family
unit. Children whose parent or parents are in prison experience
prolonged instability and uncertainty, and are three times more likely
than their counterparts to run afoul of the law as they grow older.
Those who enter the court and prison systems go through
periods of anxiety, trauma, shame, guilt and terror. These feelings
can cause physical and mental illness and severely impair their
ability to function effectively. Demystification of the process
prepares the family and the accused to cope during the trial and
afterwards. Learning about rules, regulations, social aspects and
day to day prison life will help families conquer their fears and
regain control of their lives.
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