Pubdate: Sun, 17 Oct 2004
Source: Herald Democrat (TX)
Copyright: 2004 Herald Democrat
Contact:  http://www.herald-democrat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2710
Author: Wynonah Fogle
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1383/a01.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)

MORE VOLUNTEER HELP NEEDED WITH INMATES

I am writing this after I read the letter on Monday, Oct. 4, concerning 
monies to be spent for "finding out something that we already knew."

I certainly agree, and so does anyone else who reads the papers or listens 
to the news, that most crimes are drug related in some fashion or another. 
I also agree that anyone with any common sense at all knows this without 
someone spending a huge amount of money to find this out.

I am with Mission Service Corp., a Christian-based volunteer group, and we 
are doing what we can to help this situation. There are volunteers who go 
into prisons and teach the recovery program to the inmates where it is 
allowed, and these people are filling the gap left when the prison system 
stopped paying counselors to teach these programs.

I am so very grateful for these people, and I think a lot more things could 
be done to help this situation if people would just come to realize that 
drugs and alcohol are the problem in most cases. There are lots of things 
that can be done to help these people, but it will probably take help from 
people who care enough to give their time to participate.

Sometimes, if concerned citizens write to officials, something can be 
changed or done about it. The biggest problem is that there are so many 
people who do not realize that there is a problem, but they will eventually 
because the numbers speak for themselves.

The prisons are overflowing, and approximately 70,000 inmates are being let 
out each year into our population. If someone does not care enough to help 
these people, then they are going to go back into the system, and on it 
goes. People in communities need to form support groups, and churches need 
to do the same. I also agree that these people do need help.

I would love to do more than I do now, and I would love to hear from people 
who are willing to do the same.

Wynonah Fogle
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D