COVID-19: The View from Prison

This introduction won't be long. I have close relationships with people who had been to prison and with people still in prison. Some are former students and others are like family.  Some are home. This brother is not. We've been maintaining contact for the past several years. The last we corresponded was earlier this year, before this current pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt. That's important for context. This is the body of the email he sent this past week out of the blue. I didn't edit a single word.

"They are really trying to force this "social distanceing" here in the prison and its really messing up the flow of things and how we break up our days here being locked up. They are doing crazy stuff with the recreation schedule and thats the main thing these guys use here to escape from there problems and their physical bondage. I guess all we have now is our agency, lol half of these guys dont even know what that is but they better learn quick because this pandemic is playing with people minds inside of here, not mine though, I know where my help comes from. So please keep the brothers that are here in our ministry covered in prayer as well as the general population of the prison system, that God gives us peace and keeps us covered from all hurt, harm and danger under the blood in Jesus' name. I will talk to you soon. Please be safe and wash your hands. God Bless..."

In my reply, I asked if I could share his experiences with the world; that I wouldn't give any identifying information whatsoever.
His reply...

"Hey, yes you can definitly share my perspective and you can use my name if you want to, I dont mind. Yeah man things are rough in here. There are 9 confirmed cases that I know of here. Its like every other day a medical code goes off and 9 times out of 10 its because of the "rona" lol. Its sad. I was watching CNN and to see all of those doctors coming out of retirement to try to help people because they feel like its their calling, knowing that they have a family that they have to go back home to that they might effect is a lesson of selflessness and humility, and its a reminder as a child of God that we need to do better. I have definitly been blesses by those stories. I also feel like this pandemic is a call to repentence. Hopefully the world can see."

I deleted from these excerpts, inquiries about my family and other small talk that may have preceded or followed these paragraphs. The paragraphs themselves are unaltered, pure insider thoughts and experiences. Until now I've just retweeted others' thoughts and calls to government officials to do better because I agreed with them. I reckon it's time that I do some pushing and prodding myself, somehow. This brother, his family and I and my family are all people of faith. The book of James teaches us that faith without works is "dead being alone." Say less.