flygirlaa2
12-23-2003, 07:06 AM
Ark. Inmates Get Fruit, $5 for Christmas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The stockings won't be empty on Christmas in Arkansas prisons — and they won't contain lumps of coal, either.
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As a humane gesture, state prison officials will give each inmate two apples, two oranges and $5 cash.
Arkansas inmates, numbering about 13,000, also will get a traditional Christmas meal, and most will get the day off from prison work Christmas Day, though family visits won't be allowed.
"Let's face it. If you're not where you want to be on the holidays, it can be real depressing," said Dina Tyler, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Correction. "So this is something we do as a humane gesture."
The annual gift costs the prison system between $60,000 to $70,000. Administrators say the expense is worth what it represents to inmates — an acknowledgment of what is a difficult time of year for anyone away from family.
The money for the program comes from the state's Inmate Welfare Account, which is a combination of fees collected for phone calls made from the prisons and cash confiscated from inmates.
Even $5 can make a difference at the prison commissary, where inmates can purchase deodorant, shampoo, stationery, soup or candy.
Dee Engle, state coordinator for the Arkansas chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, said she doesn't disagree with the $5 allotment, especially if inmates with children can put it toward sending a small gift home.
"It would mean so much to those children to get something," Engle said.
Arkansas prisons also host several religious groups from the community who sing and provide support during the Christmas season, Tyler said.
Inmates also are allowed extra television and telephone privileges.
Dee Ann Newell, who runs a parenting-from-prison program, said the children of women in the program will visit their mothers Monday. They will make Christmas ornaments and get pictures with Santa.
Newell said she was disappointed that the children would not be allowed to bring in gifts, but she acknowledges the prison department's security concerns.
"This is the worst time of year for men and women in prison," Newell said. "It's a painful time."
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - The stockings won't be empty on Christmas in Arkansas prisons — and they won't contain lumps of coal, either.
_
As a humane gesture, state prison officials will give each inmate two apples, two oranges and $5 cash.
Arkansas inmates, numbering about 13,000, also will get a traditional Christmas meal, and most will get the day off from prison work Christmas Day, though family visits won't be allowed.
"Let's face it. If you're not where you want to be on the holidays, it can be real depressing," said Dina Tyler, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Correction. "So this is something we do as a humane gesture."
The annual gift costs the prison system between $60,000 to $70,000. Administrators say the expense is worth what it represents to inmates — an acknowledgment of what is a difficult time of year for anyone away from family.
The money for the program comes from the state's Inmate Welfare Account, which is a combination of fees collected for phone calls made from the prisons and cash confiscated from inmates.
Even $5 can make a difference at the prison commissary, where inmates can purchase deodorant, shampoo, stationery, soup or candy.
Dee Engle, state coordinator for the Arkansas chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, said she doesn't disagree with the $5 allotment, especially if inmates with children can put it toward sending a small gift home.
"It would mean so much to those children to get something," Engle said.
Arkansas prisons also host several religious groups from the community who sing and provide support during the Christmas season, Tyler said.
Inmates also are allowed extra television and telephone privileges.
Dee Ann Newell, who runs a parenting-from-prison program, said the children of women in the program will visit their mothers Monday. They will make Christmas ornaments and get pictures with Santa.
Newell said she was disappointed that the children would not be allowed to bring in gifts, but she acknowledges the prison department's security concerns.
"This is the worst time of year for men and women in prison," Newell said. "It's a painful time."