It could have been so much worse.
05/11/20219
When I read and watch
Stories about American jails
I realize I am truly blessed
There’s 2.3 million souls
Mostly doing it tougher than me
And that’s not taking into account
Prisons in third world countries
But in AMC
In the minimum-security cottages
In a single man cell
With a supportive family
And the reputation that comes
From a brutal crime
I’ve got it better than most
In prison at least
I even have a job
In the jail kitchen
A radio, a guitar
And the only jail in Australia
That allows smoking
And emails on the prison PC’s
As if I wasn’t lucky enough
To get just 6 years
There’s a tennis court, a gym, a vegie garden
And all the time in the world
To work on improving yourself
Make no mistake
Australia is the lucky country
And I’m the luckiest man
In this whole damn town
—
The quality of life in Australian prisons is probably up there with some of the best in the world with the exception of possibly some Scandinavian countries.
The AMC is a fairly new jail, the alternative if I had broken the law 7 years earlier would be Goulburn jail, a place that breeds horror stories and dramas and carries a very real threat of getting stood over, stabbed or bullied.
AMC is far from perfect but I’m fully conscience that it could have been so much worse.
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Yes, you are very lucky, Christo! Looks almost like a college campus! I was on a tour of a prison in California in 1990 that was quite similar to what you have described in your well-written poem.
Each state in the US has its own prison system. Some of them are pretty bad! Now being phased out are a few infamous privatized prisons. The corporations that run these prisons are under contract with the state. They are run to make a profit, so they spend the minimum amount of money possible on the prisoners. I am glad they have been abolished!
All the best as you make a good life for yourself! ❤ Have a great week!
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Thanks Cheryl, interesting stuff, it’s strange that a better quality of prison actually reduces recidivism.
As always I count my blessings, definitely something wrong when a country has such a high number of convicts. I’ve heard it said that all the black men in jail working for a few dollars is a kind of new wave of slavery.
Food for thought anyway, best wishes:)
-Christo
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