Gladys Tapia and Hazel Lewis are two women who share an experience: dealing with the criminal justice system. Both residents of Oak Park, each has adult children and other relatives who have previously served time in prison. They each decided to give voice to an overlooked group-the families of inmates.
Tapia and Lewis spoke at a forum at Third Unitarian Church, 301 N. Mayfield Ave. in Austin, a few months back about their experiences helping their children rebuild their lives-both during and after incarceration.
“My ex-husband was in and out of jail throughout our marriage, and I saw the mechanisms at work that prevented him from really being able to get his life together after he got out,” said Lewis.
The 56-year-old loan officer and mother of two sons said programs such as the Safer Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps ex-offenders find employment, housing and social services, do not substantially assist ex-offenders after incarceration.
“My husband received very little assistance when he was trying to find employment,” she said.
Among the problems she sees within the prison system is the lack of skill training programs and the fact that criminals on house arrest are not permitted to work and therefore can’t financially support themselves. The families also receive no financial assistance to house them.
“In some ways,” she said “we are being punished by being a mother to an ex-offender.”
Lewis’ youngest son Jamarl, like Hazel’s former husband, went through a stretch of recidivism due to his addiction to narcotics. He was sentenced to two years for home invasion in 2004.
“He was a good student who just got with the wrong crowd,” Lewis said. “I think that is one of the things I wanted the people of Third Unitarian Church to know-how hard it is to be a mother and see your child going down the wrong path and not being able to help him as much as you want to. There needs to be a special committee in charge of job placement, housing and education for former inmates. Otherwise, they are out to sea after they get out and have few options other than returning to the criminal life.”
Gladys Tapia is a 71-year-old, part-time teacher who is the mother of five living children (one son died in 1995 from AIDS). Four of her children have been incarcerated on drug charges. She said the system fails to actually rehabilitate offenders, choosing instead to focus on methods to keep criminals jailed.
“I would like to see some real traction on that proposed ex-offender bill by [Congressman Danny] Davis,” said Tapia, who has been raising her 15-year-old great-grandson Anthony Brown since his father, Anthony Sr., who is also Gladys’ grandson, was killed in 2000.
“People are released from jail with no options, and they feel as though going back to crime is the only way to support themselves because the employment opportunities are not there.”
Tapia favors more governmental support for grandparents, such as herself, who are raising their grandchildren but receive no financial support. Foster parents, she points out, do receive financial assistance.
Along with her five children, Tapia has nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
She said even the best parents can have a child who makes erroneous choices in life and knowing when and how to help are critical in aiding their rehabilitation.
“Knowing when to give tough love, when to pull away and what resources are available to them were vital in the recovery of my children, who served time,” she said, noting that all of her children are currently employed. “However, they were fortunate to have us who would stand by them and get them the help they needed. Why does the system not do the same?”