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Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees

By Jeralyn, Section Huricanes Katrina and Rita
Posted on Mon Sep 05, 2005 at 08:32:06 PM EST
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Huntsville, Texas is home to the nation's most populous Death Row. At least one of every four residents of the town is a prison inmate. Now, the inmates have been called upon to serve, and they are doing so admirably. The evacuees are grateful for their help:

And so they found refuge here, beside the red brick walls of the Texas death house.Many called it heaven. With emergency shelters stretched tight from New Orleans to Houston, eight buses carrying more than 300 survivors of the flood ended up here in the proud "prison city" of Texas, 80 miles north of Houston, where every third or fourth resident lives behind bars, in seven prisons that confine 9,000 to 15,000 inmates.

The First Baptist Church, which backs up on Huntsville's oldest prison unit, including the nation's busiest execution chamber, was ready with cots, showers, fresh clothes and hot food. And prison trusties in white uniforms to clean and cook.

"They're very thankful that we're here to help," said Shannon Smith, 33, who is serving 10 years for aggravated assault for beating his wife while he was a drug addict. Some evacuees said they felt blessed and had no fear of the inmates.

...In Huntsville, 14 prison trusties helped the Red Cross and church volunteers. The trusties are minimum-security offenders allowed out under guard supervision to help with community projects. "I have no problem with that," said Jaqulyn Francis, 49, robbed by the flood of her job serving food in the workers' cafeteria of the Hotel Intercontinental in New Orleans...

For now, the inmates are not personally interacting with the evacuees. I hope that changes next. Inmates are not lepers, and I'm sure many of them would welcome the opportunity to contribute any way they could. Even if they just lent an ear, it could be very helpful to those whose lives have been uprooted by Katrina.

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    Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees | 8 comments (8 topical)
    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:10 PM EST
    Melanie, I think it's inspiring. During the Tsunami, I wrote about Malaysian prisoners, including those on death row, who donated.

    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:19 PM EST
    sounds like the future of this dead non nation.

    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#2)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:19 PM EST
    Prisoners performed heroically in the 1957 plane crash on Rikers Island, saving some 60 passengers from the flaming wreckage. Good reminder that prisoners are part of humanity.

    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#3)
    by bad Jim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:19 PM EST
    What else would one expect? The prisoners have got to be bored out of their minds. The least we could expect from them is acute compassion towards people worse off than they are.

    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:19 PM EST
    Jeralyn, Isn't this just the tiniest bit sick?

    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#5)
    by Lis Riba on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:20 PM EST
    The homeless men of St. John's Hospice don't have much. But they are gathering their pennies - literally - to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#6)
    by aw on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:20 PM EST
    Melanie: Elaborate on your question, please.

    Re: Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:03:23 PM EST
    It's amazing to me that this is news. Where is it written that prisoners - even those on death row - are anything but human? They committed crimes; they are paying for those crimes; they are STILL human and humans empathize with their fellow humans. Their actions are nothing less than their attempt at personal redemption.

    Texas Prisoners Care for Evacuees | 8 comments (8 topical)