By Teresian Association Socio-Educational Movement Team

Every Saturday morning a group of professionals and friends rise early to go to jail. For a long time, this had been a cherished dream, one we contemplated and pray for during extensive group sessions where we shared, prayed and reflected together.

It is not easy to enter prison without having committed a crime. We had to complete documents, have endless meetings with those in charge of the rehabilitation programs, speak with the people in charge of prison ministry in the Archdiocese of Miami, think, plan, prepare, and control the fears that some us harbored. But we knew we had to go since no one else was doing this and we were perhaps the only opportunity for these women to experience the presence of Christ.

Photo caption: The team is comprised by Liliana Ponce, Ester Alcocer, Pedro Alcocer, Mirta Mesa, Inés Fajardo y Toni Miranda.

The first time we went, we were surprised to find such a young population, Most of the women are between the ages of 20 and 30 and come from every part of Latin America. Some have completed high school, while many have dropped out. Our Saturday visits quickly became the most anticipated activity of the week.  Although the women are learning, perhaps what is most important is the desire that has been awakened in them to improve their circumstances. Our presence gives those, who are separated from their families or have been abandoned, a simple, but important message: “You are important to us.” You are sufficiently important for us to dedicate time, to listen and to be with you. We have seen many of them grow and mature, from the anxiety of that first moment of seeing themselves imprisoned, to dreaming of attaining a better future. Some have returned home, several have been transferred to other prisons to finish their sentence, and sadly some have been deported leaving behind their children and loved-ones.

It is possible that this project is helping and has helped many women, but perhaps what is most important for us is the richness we receive from this experience. In the first place, we have reflected on the human dignity of these women, who for diverse reasons find themselves in these circumstances.  Their imprisonment is even more aggravated due to their inability to communicate, since many do not speak English and cannot communicate with the prison guards, doctors or the other inmates. When they leave prison they must face the fact that their status as ex-convicts and the inability to speak English makes them second class citizens, and it is harder to compete in the job market. Yes, they may need an education, but above all, they need a friendly hand that gives them the strength in those moments of separation and exclusion and helps strengthen their identity as a person.

With minimal resources, the team provides English as a Second Language, literacy in Spanish and math classes. We encounter many difficulties, a slow bureaucratic process, and must overcome many stressful efforts during the entire week so we can dedicate our Saturday to this project. There are only a few of us and the need is great, but for many of the women in jail, we represent the only light, since there is no other program like this one. The members of the Socio-Educational Movement team know well the need for this transformation.  We care a lot about these women.

For reflection

Are you afraid of the difficulties you can encounter by volunteering in a project in a harsh environment such as a prison?  How could you contribute to something like this?