Last night, I had the immense honor and privilege of attending a virtual screening of Michigan Citizens for Prison Reform‘s MI Visits Matter: The Family Cost of Incarceration, a documentary in support of the Family Rights Visitation Bill.
Thankfully, the bill is being introduced TODAY by State Representative Emily Dievendorf.
Who is MiCPR?
I am incredibly fond of MiCPR (especially Lois and Charmie). They are the lifeline I wish I had known existed when I began navigating life with an incarcerated loved one. Lois’ story is also close to my own, as she began her advocacy journey when her son was incarcerated.
If all of this is new to you, check out their family resource guide; you won’t regret it.
Visits Save Lives
The documentary cast light on the heavy emotional toll and systemic barriers faced by loved ones of incarcerated individuals, and the Michigan DOC Policies that can arbitrarily prevent visits.
The data doesn’t lie: Visits save lives and sanity. They are a mental health lifeline; not seeing a loved one weighs heavy on those doing the time as well as their families.
Though our family has never lost visits, we experienced how painful it was to be without visits for nearly 6 months.
It was a traumatizing and sad time for myself and my children, as they went from having their father as a constant presence in their life, to him being completely inaccessible for months. Phone calls were sporadic, and with every phone call, you could hear the desperation in my loved one’s voice. I found myself often inconsolable; my kids were unable to sleep alone for months; worried that something might happen to me, too.
On top of that, we then had to wait for visiting applications to be approved when he was finally placed at a long term facility. It was a traumatic, unnecessary burden; and it doesn’t have to be that way.
It’s a sentiment that was echoed from families who have not seen their loved ones in YEARS. I often say that your loved one, once taken by DOC, no longer feels like your loved one; especially when things like this happen.
Preventing visits should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. A step I believe we’re getting closer to through recent Court of Appeal Rulings, and important legislation, such as that put forward by MiCPR.
Share Your Story.
If you have lost visits, or want to speak to the power of visits, CPR wants to share your story! You can email them here, where they may be used for a future hearing.
If you have an incarcerated loved one who would like to write a letter in support of the bill, they can send it to:
Citizens for Prison Reform (Mi Visits Matter)
PO Box 80414
Lansing, MI 48908
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