And Now for Something New

I've written about working in prison and jail for the last few years, using this space to explore the issues that arise when some of the consequences of bad behavior includes time away from family, job, society and whatever else we take for granted. What I've come to learn is that people who are incarcerated are like the rest of us, sometimes more so, and that I have a lot to learn.

Recently there has been some other news on the prison/jail front. I read this post at Salon.com and then heard a story on NPR based on the original. With everything else that comes up behind bars, Alzheimer's had to be there as well. Here's a link to the Salon article.

In another part of my life, Alzheimer's is a big deal. Jail and memory loss don't intersect too often--or do they? Experiences with my mother over the last 10-12 years make me wonder how frightening Alzheimer's must be in a system that doesn't understand when you get caught in a memory loop or you think you hear children crying under your bed or you can't understand what someone says when they're yelling at you for not following directions. All the more reason to pay attention, no matter what it costs.