by Alissa Moore, LSPC Re-Entry Coordinator
As many of you may know, five years ago I started a hotline for incarcerated people facing emergencies while incarcerated. I did this because I had seen some mainey stuff go down while I was inside and I was leaving behind for the most part the only family I had ever known in a place I knew all too well could be a hell on earth.
I was free for the first time as an adult, still learning to navigate the complexities of everyday life. I wasn’t sure what could be done in some of the cases that would come on the line. Being as stubborn as I’m known to be, I didn’t give up and soon found surefire ways to get results for the problems people inside were calling about.
Even though in the beginning I was virtually clueless, I knew one thing for certain: I had to answer the calls. What stuck with me more than anything, aside from the issues I faced while inside, was the fact that there was literally no one I could call that would understand what I was facing or who could or would co-navigate the problem. Even more, there was nobody who was patient enough to just listen, and sometimes that’s what people need most.
Since it’s been five years now, I think the single most valuable thing I’ve been able to offer people is an ear and maybe a voice of reason. Or as Jodie Daniels stated so eloquently in a recent letter, just having someone to talk to that has gone through the same circumstances he is currently going through helps him to understand clearly and gives him confidence that he can find his way out: “I listened to your ear hustle podcast episode and realized that you really know what I’m going through with this life sentence.”
Those of us who have done time and been fortunate enough to leave all too soon realize we are and were suffering from a term I’ve coined: Post-Traumatic Incarceration Syndrome. When we’re able to reach out to another individual who has survived similar circumstances, above all, the one thing that they give us is hope.
This is un aceptable JCAHO should be called to investigate the mistreatment of inmates. Having worked in the CDCR as a nurse, just because your working in an institution the liability to your licensure is the same!
It’s so nice to know you made it Alyssa. Ive been following you here on line and it appears your adjusting nicely to your new life on the outside. You go girl.
You are absolutely right. Thank you for being the one that learned and over came and gives back.