Hunger and Education (Part 2)
By Tom Wright
And the irony in this learning process regarding doing what it takes to prevent recidivism? It’s that inmates have a distinct advantage in this process over the rest of the population because they’re hungry. How do I know this? Because inmates have been the best students I have ever had, particularly when you offer them anything, that in any way, looks like it will help them to establish meaningful lives as a fully functioning, productive citizen. That would be, law abiding. But again, even with the best training in the world, if their hunger for normalcy in their lives isn’t also addressed, then that training will fail. In our modern world, no one survives alone, least of all those on the fringe of support. If the only person you can call to come pick you up when you are released is an alcoholic relative, and you are an alcoholic, what chances do you think that that freed person has for living a life away from addictions and old habits? Not much of one, I would say.
