Lend Our Prisoners a Hand

Discussion of the impact of nature on human mental health, specifically prisoners, and follow up with a plan that can be established to ensure that prisoners are getting enough access to nature while also improving other lifelong skills. 

In discussion of what nature is, one controversial issue has been the different definitions and points of view of what nature is identified as. On the one hand, Gary Snyder in “What Is Nature, and Do We Really Need It?” argues that nature can be harmful, dangerous, and life-threatening. On the other hand, Emma Marris in “Nature is everywhere- - we just need to learn to see it” contends that we must let nature be touched and stop encouraging people to identify it as untouched. These two issues are very instantaneous from one another because we can see how individuals have different ways of describing it. Some can simply characterize nature with a touch but others are afraid to do so. Others even maintain that nature is artificial. Nature is crucial to improving or establishing our mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and self-control, which ends up improving people’s behavior. We should let what's given to us with no price be appreciated and awarded. We need nature for our good, supporting our mental health. Nature helps us in many different ways such as, psychologically, physically, socially, and cognitively. Improving the lives of those who experience it and admire it. Taking advantage of that, that was given to us full of positive outcomes. 

Looking above all of what we expect from ourselves and those around us who did our community wrong. We must believe in what can be done to improve not only ourselves but those who at some point in their life committed terrible and lawful mistakes like committing crimes that came with long-term consequences such as being incarcerated for a very long time. Advocating for them, prisoners have fewer chances of making their own decisions. Prisons are full of metal bars surrounding traps humans, who all they need is guidance from individuals who have the opportunity to lead their professionalism into a sort of wellness for all. Punishing or maybe, as they say, teaching them a lesson by ensuring that they live in poor conditions, in crowded spaces, and have a lack of access to nature. Making worse prisoners' mental health, have higher chances of them committing suicide. 

Many prisons choose to style their education by relying on punishments, such as not allowing full access to nature to prisoners who have significant behavioral problems, and taking them to solitary confinement. While real-life education circles around new experiences, new opportunities, and new important life skills. As I interviewed Nathan Pillips, a researcher on earth and the environment, while also being part of the BU Urban program. Phillips highlighted the problem with prisons' way of educating prisoners. “I remember I was looking at the Boston Globe in Massachusetts in one of the facilities. It was like an overhead photograph, and at first, it looked like a college. Looked like an ideal college because of the way that the buildings were laid out, and they were all bricks. You know from a distance they look like dormitories on a college campus. Like in Cambridge or Foughburg or one of those old colleges and the main building looks kinda like that too. And it was kinda sad, but it was also like why can’t we have you know more colleges instead of more prisons and places where there can be a learning community rather than you know simply locking people up and punishing people and they were open space like a college has, they were grassy fields, and it just struck me looking at the physical layout like we should turn these facilities into places of learning because that’s kinda one of the few things that can heal people from either mistake that they’ve made or the systemic injustice that also put people unjustifiably trapped into incarceration”.(14:55)

Professor Phillips stated something that he saw in one of the Boston Globe facilities, he starts to contrast a college layout and comparing it to a prison layout. He looked at the buildings and saw how all of the students' dormitories were somewhat similar to prisons, but in many ways, differently based on their direct meaning. By this, I mean students use their dormitories in case of sleeping because of their educational status but they are allowed to leave campus while prisoners use theirs as their home, where they use the bathroom and many do many other necessities with no way out. He states how sad it is to see this and think about prisoners. He suggests that prisons should be like this, with education as well as free enjoyable ways of accessing nature within their comforts. That prisons shouldn’t be known as a place of punishment, they should also be seen as education centers. "The environment of prisons is often harsh, bleak, and isolating. Inmates are given recreation time in indoor gymnasiums in place of outdoor recreation”. A building full of prisoners but with no meaning or no actions being made towards bettering them can cause their rough behaviors. While also highlights how prisoners should be seen as a place to learn while having open green spaces to experience nature.

Integrating nature into prisons rehabilitation programs for prisoners will be very beneficial in different ways, such as supporting their mental health and providing a different way in which they can learn new skills. A great example of what we can integrate is a gardening station.

Implementing gardening stations in nature will bring prisoners nature while also teaching them life and hands skills. "Typically, prisoners engage in activities such as landscaping, green roof gardening, cultivating plants, and learning about environmental stewardship”. They have turned their life around and by doing so they have also helped their community. Using the different crops and gardening skills and fruits they can help out and donate to different shelters. This not only shows them their success it also shows them how you can go from being seen and pictured as the worst person alive to being someone who made an impact in others' lives in a good way. “Additionally, most programs combine these activities with vocational training and teaching of social skills, such as how to work with others in groups (Van Der Linden). As a whole, these programs have proven to be extremely effective in improving the mental health of inmates and lowering recidivism rates, which in turn can help alleviate some of the costs of mass incarceration”.This is not only a great chance and way of improvement for the inmates, this is also a great plan to stop the rate of recidivism from going up. Allowing the city to continue to lower the cost of mass incarceration.

FOR YOU WE WILL! WE WILL BRING YOU NATURE AND WE WILL CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS YOUR NEW BEGINNING!

Wilmari Melo Dominguez, a 17 years old teen. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic. Specifically in Bani, Peravia. Came to the United States when she was 9 years old entering 5th grade. She’s a bilingual student, learning english was hard for her but it was necessary in order for her to communicate with other people. Went to Orchard Gardens K-8 School and finished her middle school years and became fluent in english. Later on entering high school she spent freshman year through sophomore year in Roxbury Prep High school than transferred to Margarita Muniz Academy finishing her senior year this year of 2022.

• Biografia

Wilmari Melo Dominguez, de 17 años de edad. Nacío y se crío en la Republica Dominicana. Específicamente en Bani, Peravia. Lleguo a los Estados Unidos cuando tenía 9 anos de edad entrenando a el quinto grado. Es una estudiante bilingüe, para ella aprendiendo ingles fue muy difícil pero era necesario para poder comunicarse con las demás personas. Fue a Orchard Gardens K-8 School, terminando sus anos de secundaria en esa escuela, también fue donde aprendío como ser fluente en ingles. Mas tarde entrenado a la secundaria, tuvo su primer ano asta el 10th grado en Roxbury Prep High School, después se transferio a Margarita Muniz Academy donde esta terminando su ultimo ano escolar este 2022.