Recently, we had a team of young people visit from Australia. I accompanied them to many activities, one of which was a visit to a low security prison to play b-ball with some of the guys and gals. Most of the inmates had entered as juveniles. The individuals I met were from Australia, the Philippines, Thailand - and the most surprising was Peru. She is a long way from home! The inmates were both male and female. All that I spoke with were affilited with the drug trade.
One thing that made a lasting impression on me was the children in prison. Last year I had written that in Bolivia children go to prison with their mothers. This is the first time I have seen such a thing. There is just something unnerving about seeing a small baby behind bars. I held a 4 month old, his mother is from Thailand and his father is Nigerian. To me, small children are the only truly innocent thing on earth. What happens when a child begins their life behind bars? How does that affect their outlook on the future? Is there another solution that is in the best interest of the child?
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