From The Marshall Project:
During a support group at San Quentin State Prison in 2019, Rev. Susan Shannon invited more than 30 men into a circle. For weeks, the group had been talking about grief and loss. On this day, Shannon handed out stacks of small, rose-shaped Post-it notes and told each person to write the names of people they’d lost. Then, one by one, the men spoke as if they were at a memorial service, saying what they needed to say through cheers and sobs before placing the notes on a table that became a makeshift altar.
At the end of the group, the men stood holding hands and imagining their deceased loved ones with them, promising to keep their memory alive in their hearts.
Research shows that grief is a hidden yet profound part of prison life. And, when ignored, it impacts people’s health and their chances of moving forward. A study of men incarcerated in Texas found a higher rate of depressive symptoms among those who experienced the death of a loved one in their last year of incarceration. Strong support systems — whether inside or outside prison — helped soften the impact. Research on women incarcerated in the northeastern U.S. shows how grief is often left unresolved because prison offered no physical or emotional space to process it.
Read more here.
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