This piece was inspired by Otis Johnson.
Johnson was sentenced to jail in 1975 when he was just 25 years old, by
the time he was released in August 2014, he was 69 years old. In total,
he spent 44 years in prison for attempted murder of a police officer.
Forty four years away from family and friends. Behind heavy metal bars,
living a regimented life, a life regulated by laws that are not mutually
agreed on.
Johnson’s release, according to the
story written by Filmmakers Elena Baffetta and Jenna Belhumer, on
Al-Jazeera blog, was “originally scheduled for earlier but ended up
serving an additional eight months at the age of 69 for a juvenile
shoplifting charge he received when he was 17.
When Johnson was released, he was given
an ID, documents detailing his criminal case history, $40 and two bus
tickets. He landed in Times Square in New York City and quite naturally,
he was confused, no he was lost in the sea of people and buildings. The
sheer number of people walking fast; with most of them not looking at
anyone or anywhere in particular, he couldn’t wrap his confused mind
around that. It was a bit too much for him to handle.
In giving his account to the Filmmakers,
“Johnson thinks he’s entered a dystopia where everyone has become a
secret agent wearing wires”, when he saw men and women, young and old
with earphones firmly plugged in their ears and they constantly were
fiddling with their phones. Indeed, before he went to prison, there were
no mobile phones. You go to a phone booth, toss in your coin and dial
the number in order to communicate with someone.
Johnson has no friends and family to go
to at the moment. He’s now being cared for by Fortune Society, a non-
profit that provides shelter and food to ex-prison inmates in Harlem.
He’s gradually being re-introduced into the society. And you can bet it
hasn’t been a walk in the park for this 69-year- old. He’s now in a
society that has, according to 2014 census population, a total of
8,491,079 and a land area of 305 square metres; that’s massive. New York
City is the most densely populated major city in the United States.
Apart from trying to get used to the number of people he sees every day
while sitting at the Times Square, he’s also trying to get used to
having an array of grocery to choose from. He now has the power to sleep
and wake up when he chooses, nobody tells him when to put off his
electricity supply. He eats what he likes when he wants. But, sadly he
has no family, he has no friends.
As I read the story and pondered on the
life of the man, Otis Johnson, I realised the importance of a community
of people that you can always go to, to find help, hope and succour when
the storms of life blow. I come to the realisation that no matter how
much freedom you enjoy, there’s a void in your life that can only be
filled by the love, fellowship and companionship that comes from a
fellow human being. Even the recluse will admit that it’s hard to be
alone all the time.
I realised that there are many
ex-prisoners like Johnson in Nigeria without a support structure to help
them reconnect fully into the society, after they have served their
time in jail for a wrongdoing.
It’s painful because we live in a
society where once an individual is convicted of a crime and sentenced
to jail, his lineage will not be able to live down that memory and the
attendant stigma and discrimination. I’m aware that in time past, even
when you’re seen in handcuffs and taken to the police station, where you
probably spent a day or two, you dared not come back to the community.
You’re automatically banished from the society. In fact, nobody wants to
have anything to do with you or any member of your family. Nobody will
do business with you. Nobody wants to get married to anyone related to
you. Nobody will even offer you a job. You’re simply on your own! I find
this idea of using the sin of one man to judge and condemn his
generation repulsive. I think it’s unfair and extremely callous. And to a
large extent, I think that’s what is responsible for the inter-ethnic
and inter-religion discrimination that we have among some people.
Although I’m aware that such evil practices are beginning to lose
relevance, some people still hold on to it with all their strength.
For me, I think there’s an urgent and
important need to educate and enlighten willing and interested friends
and families of people who are serving jail terms, on the need to judge
the sin but, don’t condemn the sinner for life. I know it’s a tough call
but, even the Bible asks us, “If God were to judge iniquity who can
stand?” Yes, as friends and family members, there is a feeling of shame
and disappointment of having a loved one taint the name and image of the
family and be behind bars but, didn’t the Yoruba say “no matter how bad
your child is, you don’t send him to the lion’s den to be used as
barbecue.”
We can’t forever banish ex-prison
inmates who have show genuine remorse and repentance of their sins.
We’re created for community and not for isolation. We can’t forever
ostracise them from our midst. In fact, I believe that’s why some of
them go back to commit another crime so that they can find their way
back to prison where they’re accepted.
We have a responsibility and a duty
towards each other, not only when we behave well but even when we fall
occasionally. We have a responsibility to help the many Otis Johnsons
that we have around us to lead a meaningful and fulfilling life again.
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