“Through learning to care for other human beings, they’ve found their own humanity.” Those were the words of Kandyce Powell, executive director of the Maine Hospice Council, at the opening of a two-day conference at Maine State Prison this week. She was speaking about the twelve inmates who she has helped become the prison’s first volunteer hospice team. With no tangible reward whatsoever and no “good time” off, these men have chosen to provide end-of-life care to their fellow inmates at the prison, making sure that they are comfortable in their last days and that they have a friendly face to talk to as they prepare to die behind bars.
 
The hospice team is the fruit of over a decade’s worth of labor by Kandyce and other committed members of the Hospice Council. It’s a truly unique sight to behold and it shatters so many of the stereotypes we hold about prisoners. It’s also an unfortunate sign of the times. The number of elderly people in our prisons is growing rapidly as a result of overincarceration and extreme sentencing policies. In 1981, there were 8,853 state and federal prisoners age 55 and older. Today, that number stands at 124,900, and experts project that by 2030 this number will be over 400,000.
 
How we deal with this rapidly aging prison population was one of the central themes of the conference, and one of the major questions facing our nation in the years to come. Shenna spoke eloquently about the issue on the first day of the conference, repeatedly referencing an ACLU report that was released last year and provides some remarkable statistics that show the extent of the problem. (You can read the full report here.) The reality is that a significant portion of elderly prisoners pose no threat to society, yet we continue to lock them up at an astounding cost to taxpayers. With state budgets in dire straits, and with the United States continuing to hold the infamous title of “world’s largest incarcerator,” the time has come to rethink our criminal justice system.
 
Everyone who attended this week’s conference was treated to unique moments of humanity and joy that helped inspire us to believe that rehabilitation for those who have committed even the most serious crimes is not impossible. We were regaled with beautiful and gut-wrenching songs of love and forgiveness from the inmate-led band, “Sounds of Comfort,” and it became clear that people can change. We witnessed touching moments with inmates hugging strangers and crying in their arms. We felt the good that can come from a bad situation, and saw first hand what atonement can do to a person.
 
It’s hard to capture just how eloquent the men were when they spoke of the journey of self-discovery that the hospice program has taken them on. “This has been a lifesaver for me,” said Al, one of the longest-serving volunteers. “It’s given me new life and a future and I hope to do it when I get out in 5 ½ years.” On the other end of the spectrum is Sergio, who came straight from high school to prison and is one of the youngest members of the team. He said he never even knew what hospice was before, but now he “can’t even count how many ways it’s changed (his) life.” Both of them have, as Kandyce put it, have “found their own humanity.”
 
This was the second year that the ACLU of Maine has co-sponsored this conference, which is presented by the Maine Hospice Council and the Maine Department of Corrections. We’re proud to be part of the event, but it’s especially important that we give credit to all the staff at the prison for allowing this program to go forward. Several of the inmates spoke directly to the support they’ve received from nurses and even guards who appreciate what they’re doing and recognize the positive impact it can have on the prison culture. When you combine this with the good work that the Department of Corrections has done to reduce solitary confinement, it is clear that Maine is moving in the right direction when it comes to prison reform, and that is no small thing given the trends we’ve documented nationwide. The ACLU and other like-minded organizations have surely played a role in making this happen, but without the buy-in from the people who work in corrections – many of whom have extremely difficult and thankless jobs – these types of programs simply could not thrive, let alone exist.
 
If you would like to learn more about the hospice program, I strongly encourage you to check out an in-depth series produced by MPBN on the men and the work they’re doing in the prison. (Here’s Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.) WABI-TV also ran a nice piece on the conference on Tuesday that you can watch here. As we discussed at the conference, the general public’s view of prisoners and what they’re capable of is greatly skewed from reality. The more we can spread the message that no human being is beyond saving and that humanity can be discovered in the least expected places, the faster we can begin to change our criminal justice system so that fewer people are spending their final days on Earth behind bars.