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Dear Sir,

I am writing to you in reply of your recent front page article on prisoner accommodation. The impression that I got from the article is that your reporter seemed to agree with the outrage expressed by the prisoner about paying for accommodation.

Frankly I think this is an excellent idea to charge people to stay in the halfway house. I mean isn’t that the idea of a halfway house, to integrate people back into society after being incarcerated? In the real world no one gets a free ride, we as adults have to have self responsibility, and it is only a lack of this that lands us in trouble. The prisoners living at the halfway house are working and integrating themselves back into society. Why should someone who has a full time job not pay for his board and lodging? The prisoner says he needs his money to integrate himself back into society when he gets out. But tell me — why are you in there in the first place? Did you not take away from society by stealing, hurting people, taking or selling drugs, etc?  

Well, all I can say is: Although I have no criminal record, may I stay at the halfway house? If you get everything for free, with some restrictions — what a great way to save. Go to prison and walk away with $20,000 or $30,000? I really think that $500 for food and lodging is nothing. Living in Bermuda I can tell you that I couldn’t find accommodation that cheap, let alone food included.

All I can say to the management of the halfway home is: Well done! What a realistic way to bring prisoners back to into society.

—  Liza Dickinson

By e-mail

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