B5 (or Anne in Prison, Part II)

It took me a few days to process my experience in the Restorative Justice class, but almost before I knew it I was presented with another opportunity to visit Pollsmoor.  A friend from church whose husband was a facilitator for the RJ course in Medium B that Andrew joined does a program for boys in B5, the juvenile facility, every Thursday.  She asked if I would like to join her, and in spite of myself I agreed.

 

I shouldn't say “in spite of myself” because I did want to go...I just wasn't excited for it yet.  As I mentioned earlier when I went to the Restorative Justice class, I didn't feel any fear.  Still, the amount of unease, uncertainty and feeling unsure of yourself is practically unmatched in any other context! 

 

The staff and volunteers of Hope Prison Ministry meet for devotions and prayer each morning before dispersing to the offices or the different prisons.  Hope is a fairly large organization, about 300 volunteers, so pretty much any day of the week individuals or groups are going into the different facilities to lead Bible studies, teach life skills classes, do follow-up from previous RJ courses, meet for individual counseling with inmates, etc.  It is encouraging to look around and see how many others are making this work a priority, and to meet such humble, strong and faithful servants of God.

 

B5 looked and felt more like a prison to me than Medium B, but mostly because I walked through cell blocks and the prison yard on my way in rather than just hallways.  What was most surprising, though, was how young the boys were.  They range in age from about 14 to 19, and in some ways they have experienced far more in life than their counterparts in an American high school, but in other ways they seem even younger.  From what I have been told, there used to be a lot of tough kids in B5 who were already heavily involved in gangs, but at least the ones who came to our program were not hardened yet.  Their emotions were not too far below the surface, and they craved activity, attention and love.  I don't know yet if I will start coming to B5 regularly, but either way I know that I need God to give me more love for these boys, and others who are broken and outcast.