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Who Cares About Death Journeys of Prisoners?

Posted by Frances Shani Parker on February 26, 2010 at 2:29pm
Location: Detroit, MI
Views: 20
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Tags: prison_terminal, aail_to_serenity_hospice_prison_program, iowa_state_penitentiary, inmate_hospice_volunteer
Each year, more than 3,000 men and women die in prisons. It is estimated that 20% of America’s prison population will be elderly by 2025. Many will eventually need quality end-of-life care. Some people will ask, “So what? Did these prisoners treat their victims with dignity? Why be concerned about their death journeys?” One response is that people are more than the worst things they ever did. Another is that society should be held to a higher standard of treating prisoners better than they treated victims. At several prisons, inmate hospice volunteers are providing comfort to terminally ill inmates. (Please, wait a few seconds for video to start after clicking the play button.)Frances Shani Parker, Author"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”“Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog”

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  • Patrick Ronan October 27, 2010 at 10:02am
    Yes very very sad to see. No matter what a person has done in life they are still entitled to die with some respect and dignity. Think of them as another human being not just a prisoner. There but for the grace of god go I.
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