Colorado, We Have a Prison Crisis

I now know why Sam suddenly and unexpectedly received his release packet. This article from The Colorado Sun, Jan 7, 2020, confirms that Gov Jared Polis has long been pushing to close all private prisons in Colorado. Suddenly, the tiny snowball became an avalanche and most of us weren't even aware it was happening.

Sam's prison will be closing by July this year, as will all three other private facilities run by parent company Core Civic. One by one, each will shut its doors and have to re-home its inmates.

To make matters significantly more urgent, Cheyenne Mountain Reentry Center in Colorado Springs, owned by GEO Group, has chosen to preemptively close on March 7th, 2020, giving the state just 60 days to rehouse nearly 650 inmates from that facility alone. This is four months less time than originally agreed upon between the state of Colorado and GEO.

The Colorado prison system is in the midst of a profound crisis and it stands to reason that enormous shifts throughout the entire system must take place immediately. There is simply no room to absorb all displaced prisoners into state run facilities at this time.

I understand the initiative behind this shift. Private prisons don't offer the programs or educational opportunities of those run by the state. While the initial cost to house inmates there is lower, the recidivism rate is actually higher. Sam received his GED shortly after arriving in Crowley but has been afforded no further opportunities for educational growth since that time.

Sam's dad and I have always known that he would have to face his demons, we just thought there would be more time. We knew we would eventually have to confront our own as well. We know the stats and we know the odds and we have discussed the fact that we just need to be prepared to accept life as it will roll out.

We also recognize that we would have to go through this exact process in a few years time anyway. The prison situation, as it pertains to Sam, is not necessarily a good thing nor a bad thing. We will collectively try to move mountains and do everything in our power to support and encourage our son but ultimately he will be the one to decide his fate. It will be his choice.

Stress like this causes me to feel the complete gamut of emotions and typically gives me a near manic type of energy. The past few days have been no exception. I called and texted Sam's dad throughout the day yesterday as I perused the internet for information. He stayed calm as I rattled off an overview from each article I found. He normally stares at his computer screen all day but had the day off and was happy just to listen. He is simply an information gatherer who learns what he can then patiently waits for the outcome.

I, on the other hand, am a story teller who makes grandiose predictions in either direction. I don't appreciate this part of me but can't seem to curtail it in regards to Sam. Loving a heroin addict is predictably difficult but playing out each potential disastrous scenario in my head is never healthy and I know it. As Brene Brown would put it "The stories I am telling myself in my head ..."

However, I also don't think it's appropriate to lean on a pollyanna-type naivete. It's very difficult for me to remain neutral on something so important but all other options lead to early insanity.

Sam's dad always patiently listens to me recant my latest theories regarding our son, often repeated incessantly, each with a different spin as if I haven't said enough already. Yesterday was no exception. He knows and accepts this part of me. I am grateful for the ear he lends because only he loves Sam like I do. We live in separate boxcars on the same crazy-train. We will always share that bond.

While things seem to be happening much sooner then we expected, only history will define whether this new development is actually a blessing or a curse for Sam. We cannot slow it down, stop it, or change it. We can only experience it.

Where there is life, there is hope. So much hope. #nomoreshame