A note just for you, from Tracie Bernardi-Guzman

As you can see from the photo I am In my element… I love being able to used my lived experience to help fight for human dignity!!

I testified at the LOB yesterday about why emessaging is vital for the mental health of both the incarcerated person and their families, inorder for people to successfully reintegrate. Less people going back to jail means less crimes. Less crimes- means a safer society!

And all because people are able to maintain or rebuild healthy relationships with people on the outside.And for every worried about safety and security- aintaining human contact and family ties is paramount for successful reentry and rehabilitation, especially for the children of incarcerated parents. These children should not suffer the consequences of reduced communication with their families, nor should families face additional financial burdens to stay connected.

As you know, enabling inmates to maintain connections with their families has proven to contribute to better behavior and overall population control within correctional facilities. The incentive of family communication is a valuable tool in managing people who are incarcerated’s conduct.

I heard people arguing to increase the funding for medicaland mental healthcare. And am I all for it this- but in my experience that doesn’t start with money it starts with a severe change in the culture of the way medical care has been allowed to be, medical staff should behave better before expecting to get paid better. While some don’t go with the flow and chose to not succumb to peer pressure ~ the keep their ost to fo no harm. There are some who were genuinely bright lights in the storm- but there were a majority who were not. So yes lets get better
Medical care and mental healthcare inside prisons but lets REQUIRE that all people that are hired to work as medical providers in the state of Connecticut for correctional facilities, must adhere to their DO NO HARM oath.

But its not just that- lets not forget the biggest parts of mental health and wellness is being able to maintain srtong family ties-Emessaging makes this possible.

Please use your Voice reach out to legislators reach out to the governor.

Tell the governor not to cut emessaging for incarcerated people- tell him Connecticut cant afford to cut it out- it does so much good.

There a well-known quote that encapsulates this sentiment quite beautifully:

“Family is the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”
Brad Henry

Very Sincerely
TBG

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