Actual Black Person.: craftjunkie: Knitting Behind Bars In late...

Dec 8, 2011
1,187 notes

craftjunkie:

Knitting Behind Bars
In late 2009, Lynn Zwerling stood in front of 600 male prisoners at the Pre-Release Unit in Jessup, Maryland. “Who wants to knit?” she asked the burly crowd. They looked at her like she was crazy.
Yet almost two years later, Zwerling and her associates have taught more than 100 prisoners to knit, while dozens more are on a waiting list to take her weekly class. “I have guys that have never missed one time in two years,” Zwerling says. “Some reported to us that they miss dinner to come to class.”
Her first thought was to bring knitting to a men’s prison, but she was turned down repeatedly. Wardens assumed the men wouldn’t be interested in a traditionally feminine hobby and worried about freely handing out knitting needles to prisoners who had been convicted of violent crimes. Five years passed before the Pre-Release Unit in Jessup accepted her, and Knitting Behind Bars was born. “I [wanted to teach] them something that I love that I really believe will make them focus and happy,” Zwerling says. “I really believe that it’s more than a craft. This has the ability to transform you.”
Full Story at: good.is

Programs like this give me hope.
I also really like the program that started in the UK (I think) where inmates are given small animals to take care of.
One of the men convicted of a series of major assaults had a bunny. In the interview he was fussing over his bunny and telling the interviewer that he had never in his life had anything to love that wasn’t hurting him in some way. He had never learned how to take care of anything or himself. He never had any reason to learn those things. Prior to getting his bunny all he knew was abuse as love.
The prison staff said that aside from a major decrease in prison violence they saw an upswing in individual prisoners. Less depression, more prisoners started taking care of themselves.
I am not a prison abolitionist, I do believe that there are people who cannot operate in society for many reasons. I don’t believe that prisons have to be cages for animals. I believe in humane places where those who can be rehabilitated can have the actual chance to be and those who can’t, can be kept away from the general population to decrease the amount of harm they can do.

Knitting Behind Bars

In late 2009, Lynn Zwerling stood in front of 600 male prisoners at the Pre-Release Unit in Jessup, Maryland. “Who wants to knit?” she asked the burly crowd. They looked at her like she was crazy.

Yet almost two years later, Zwerling and her associates have taught more than 100 prisoners to knit, while dozens more are on a waiting list to take her weekly class. “I have guys that have never missed one time in two years,” Zwerling says. “Some reported to us that they miss dinner to come to class.”

Her first thought was to bring knitting to a men’s prison, but she was turned down repeatedly. Wardens assumed the men wouldn’t be interested in a traditionally feminine hobby and worried about freely handing out knitting needles to prisoners who had been convicted of violent crimes. Five years passed before the Pre-Release Unit in Jessup accepted her, and Knitting Behind Bars was born. “I [wanted to teach] them something that I love that I really believe will make them focus and happy,” Zwerling says. “I really believe that it’s more than a craft. This has the ability to transform you.”

Full Story at: good.is

Programs like this give me hope.

I also really like the program that started in the UK (I think) where inmates are given small animals to take care of.

One of the men convicted of a series of major assaults had a bunny. In the interview he was fussing over his bunny and telling the interviewer that he had never in his life had anything to love that wasn’t hurting him in some way. He had never learned how to take care of anything or himself. He never had any reason to learn those things. Prior to getting his bunny all he knew was abuse as love.

The prison staff said that aside from a major decrease in prison violence they saw an upswing in individual prisoners. Less depression, more prisoners started taking care of themselves.

I am not a prison abolitionist, I do believe that there are people who cannot operate in society for many reasons. I don’t believe that prisons have to be cages for animals. I believe in humane places where those who can be rehabilitated can have the actual chance to be and those who can’t, can be kept away from the general population to decrease the amount of harm they can do.

(via popca)