Kids Get the Chance to Visit Parents in Prison in This PACT Video

#PrisonRideshare needs your help. 

Click here: http://igg.me/at/PrisonRideshareNetworkWebsiteProject/x/6434151

Just like the people in the video below, we understand how important it is for kids to have rides to prisons to visit their incarcerated fathers AND mothers. That's why @prisonridesharenetwork is trying so hard to get their network back up and running. But, we need the public's support. Please check out our crowdfunding project at http://igg.me/at/PrisonRideshareNetworkWebsiteProject/x/6434151.


Due to the loss of our private funding, we have had to suspend our prison transportation services. In the meantime, our new mission is to provide prison visitors with a network to help them locate rides to prisons via prison transportation companies, rideshare programs and carpool partners.

That means that we need a brand new website with a completely different focus. Our new site will allow people who need rides to prisons to use our database to find public transportation, rideshare programs, carpool partners, prison-visitor transportation services, etc... It will also include safety measures, such as verified background checks for drivers, DMV reports on rideshare programs members, etc...

But, We Need Your Help with Our Crowdfunding Project

Our Crowdfunding Project Goal: Currently, our fans use our Facebook page to post their prison transportation needs for others to view. Our project goal is to revamp, redesign and republish our website as a highly-functional Prison Rideshare Network system to help people find local carpool partners to visit specific prisons around the country.

Where the Money Will Go: We need to build the new Prison Rideshare Network website and forum. If we aren't able to raise that amount by the deadline, any funds raised will still go towards website and app developments.

How Can You Help?

Of course, your donations would be awesome. However, if you're not able to contribute funds at this time, here are other ways you can help:

• Share our campaign on with others on social networks, through emails, even phone calls and letters.
• Use the Indiegogo share tools to help get the word out.
• Locate similar businesses, non-profits, services and networks in your local area. Send information about them to us at prisonrideshare@gmail.com. 

Interested in helping the Prison Rideshare Network get our website and forum back up and running, but safer this time?  Visit our crowdfunding project to like, share, tweet, comment and/or contribute today.

Wanna Get Away?

Ticket America is your online location for one-stop shopping for tickets. They carry the largest selection in the world of tickets to premium seats at sold out events. At TicketAmerica.com, you never have to worry about getting save mart centre tickets, or Schottenstein Center tickets.

You can count on Ticket America for theater tickets, sports events tickets, concert tickets, even Shorelin​e Amphit​hetre sh​ows​. TicketAmerica.com is your online sources for tickets to some of the biggest events in the US.

My friends and I have found great deals on tickets just to get away from it all. There's nothing like a night out on the town with the girls to get away from your hectic life as a prison loved one.

The Prisoner's Daughter

Guest Blog Posts Wanted

I would like to get more quality content posted on my blog from other prison daughters, prison sons and prison step-children. If you fit into one of these categories and would like to write guests post for this blog, I'd love to hear from you!

You can write posts about your relationship with your prison mother, prison father or prison step-parent, issues you must deal with as a prison loved one, prison related current events or articles, or anything else relevant to prisons or prison loved one topics.

Become a Guest Poster

I will post more details as soon as I get more feedback. In the meantime, if you feel you may be interested, please post a comment to this post with the information below:

1. Your prison title: daughter, son, step-daughter, step-son, God-child...
2. How long your parent has been in prison.
3. The state(s) where you and your prison parent are located.
4. How often you can post 250-600 word blog posts.

Other Prison Loved Ones

This position is only for prison children. If you'd like to provide guest posts as a prison lover (prison husband, prison wife, prison boyfriend, prison girlfriend, prison fiance) of a loved one, please visit the Prisoner's Fiance. This blog also needs guest posts.

If you'd like to provide guest posts as any other prison loved one (prison mother, prison father, prison sister, prison brother, prison uncle, prison aunt, prison cousin, etc...) or a prison advocate or company that sells prison related products or services, please visit Prison Rideshare Network.

My True Prison Love Story

My true story has been published in an ebook. It was written by Renee Patterson, who did a wonderful job of telling my story exactly how I wanted it told. It you're interested in reading my true life prion love story, you can download the ebook "Another Sappy Love Story - Full Circle Prison Love" for the full story for Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook. The shorter version, "Another Sappy Love Story - The Beginning" is free on Amazon for the rest of this weekend. Download it now and tell me what you think.

Kiesha Joseph AKA OGNapolean: 40 Minutes Worth of 911 Calls About Trayvon Martin...

Kiesha Joseph AKA OGNapolean: 40 Minutes Worth of 911 Calls About Trayvon Martin...: 40 something minutes worth of 911 calls. Here are my thoughts on what I heard: I can clearly hear this young man screaming for his life...

My Fiance May Be Released Soon

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (A.K.A. CDCR Prisons) began transferring low level prisoners to various CA county jails Monday before last. These CA prisoners are soon to be released from prison, possibly in the next couple of months.

Rumor has it that in the next weeks, others who qualify for the CA Early Release Program, but have done too much prison time to be released immediately, will soon be transferred to various state prisons that will become pre-release centers. These prisons are supposed to focus on helping these prisoners slowly transition back into the free world.

My Prison Love Story

Want to know how all of this affects the future of me and my fiance? I wrote all about in my blog post entitled, "CA Prisoners Started Being Transferred to CA County Jails." Check it out.

Read more about steps being taken towards the CA Prison Realignment Process: California Prisoners Started Moving to County Jails

To keep up-to-date on our ongoing love story, please follow me blog: The Prisoner's Fiance.

Blogs I Follow:
Renee Patterson Writes
The Personal Blog of Kiesha Joseph

I just joined a network for prison sites and prison blogs.

I was just invited to join a network for prison sites and blogs. I am so excited because I have been a member of Clickbank and Commission Junction for a couple of years now. I have been unable to find quality links to place on my site. There are very few companies that offer prison goods and services in their networks.

As I understand it, adding these non-relevant links does not help your Google rankings. Google likes our sites and blogs to link to other sites and blogs in our niche. They want the links to be in some way related to who we are and what we do.

I am hoping that joining this network will help raise my search engine rankings. The only way this will actually work is if other relevant sites add their links too. Then, we all have to be sure to link back to the directory. I have already placed my backlinks on my blog. Now, it's your turn.

Join The Prison Sites Network Directory Now!

12 Days til State Prisoners Become County Inmates

In exactly 12 days, the CDCR prison system will begin releasing low-level prison inmates to the custody of various California county jail systems. These changes are due to begin on October 1, 2011 as one of many efforts to help the prison overcrowding problem in our state. 

 

What This Could Mean to a Loved One

If your prison loved one is a low-level offender who is classified as a low-level CDCR prison inmate, these new changes affect your lives, specifically:

• He or she could be released from the state prison and placed in the custody of their county as early as October 1, 2011.
• If your loved one is placed in an overcrowded county jail system to serve the remainder of their time, they may be released even earlier to make room for higher level inmates.
• Your loved one will be released to the county jail probation system, instead of the infamous state prison parole system. This could help to serve your family reunification process in a few ways. Here's just three:

1. Probation rules are not as strict as parole rules. This does not mean they will be free to re-offend just because they are not on parole. It just means that the smallest mistake will not be automatic cause to be returned to the state penitentiary, like not paying a traffic ticket on time.
2. Probation systems are more lenient when it comes to career needs. They have even been known to allow non-troublemakers to travel for really good jobs, as long as they check in regularly.
3. Those who do re-offend, but commit very low-level offenses, will be sent back to the county jail, not the CA state prison. This may sound crazy, but I believe this is good for the morale of a man who just made a simple, silly mistake. He can get out soon enough to save his job, but get knocked upside the head long enough to remind him how lucky he is to have his early prison freedom.

I just wanted to post some quick thoughts on the subject of moving CA state prisoners to CA county jails. If you want more technical information on the subject, read "CDCR Changes for Low-Level Prisoners" now.

I will do my best to stay up-to-date on this topic as it unfolds. In the meantime, here's a short, informative blog on the subject. Check it out."CDCR Changes for Low-Level Prisoners"

The Social Effects of Having Loved Ones in Prison

Life has its highs and lows. There are things that chance into our lives that we never bargained for from the outset. A typical example could be having a flat tire while running to make it to a job interview on time. But, if for any reason, one finds his freedom confined within the walls of a prison, the effects are really devastating. 

It is really sad that one’s freedom can be taken away from him for one or more reasons. Honestly, I am not trying to stand for or against the legal system that upholds jail sentences. But, I am trying to x-ray the effects of such a sentence on a person with regard to his family members and friends. I think that is where it really hurts. 

 

Now, there are many prisoners who probably left behind their wives and kids. Even if the wife of a prisoner has the inner strength to stay without the man, what about the raising of their kids? Raising children is never meant for a single parent. The challenges involved are enormous. Sometimes, the kids end up in foster homes. Yes, it is true that these kids can receive proper nurturing in such environments, but that of his parents can never be equalled by any other. 

 

Statistics reveal that most children who end up gangsters and prostitutes are traced to dysfunctional homes. There is the role of a parent, even though he may not be morally perfect, that the child needs. The fact that dad is around has a way of shaping the life of kids. A recent documentary by CNN titled; “American Al-Qaida”, tells the story of how a young American lad joined the Al-Qaida network after mom and dad separated. The picture is no different when mom or dad is confined within prison walls. They are separated, and the frustration gets deeper and lethal.

In addition, friends of prisoners suffer a lot, too. In a friendship, everyone brings something to the table. Friendship is like parts of our body. Each differs from the other, but in all, they are best of friends with a single purpose. Once a finger is bad it could affect even the head. So, when someone is imprisoned, his friends suffer. They are denied the warmth and fellowship of a noble friend. For some prisoners who had pen-friends before the jail sentence, imagine the endless letters going out without a single reply coming in. Worse still, if the prisoner was addicted to social sites, such as Facebook, it will hit his friends hard on the network as they keep sending messages and postings without any replies or “likes.” 

 

Such is what people go through just for one man in jail. He is not the only one bearing the burden. In fact, some families bear more than the prisoner does. It is really a breaking time for friends and family members who have someone spending a while behind bars. And the heater turns on during birthdays of their loved ones in prison. Friends and relations would love to gather and celebrate with him. But such can only exist in the realm of wishful thinking. Being in prison is a hard knock on both sides. But courage and faith surely conquer.

By Renee Patterson
Blog Coming Soon!

Mommy's Favorite Holiday - 4th of July

My mom's favorite holiday is The 4th of July. When I was growing up, we had a home with a swimming pool, and we lived on a cul-de-sac (dead end street). This made our home the perfect place for the family to get together and swim all day. Then, that night, it was the safest place in the family for kids to light their fireworks in the middle of the streets and not have to worry about traffic.

I remember staying up all night on the 3rd with my mother, granny and aunts, helping them get the food together. I remember standing in the kitchen, cleaning the greens, listening to them gossip about other family members outside of our circle. The smell of the bacon as they got it, and the bacon fat, ready to go into the pot of greens. Watching just how much brown sugar should go into the baked beans. Watching my mom sneak a little mustard in the potato salad when my granny turned her back.

Being an "80's Baby" (which actually means I was a teen in the 80's), I can really remember the times when holidays meant so much. It was really great to have these family traditions that ensured that you got to see certain people, at a certain time, every year. Attendance at family holiday gatherings was not optional. It wasn't exactly optional. But, it was understood. It was always implied that as a family member, it was your duty to attend. It was not just a responsibility. It was a privilege. You were groomed that way from birth. And, you never questioned. it.

Then came the late 80's. I hate to admit it, but there was a substance that came along that not only destroyed lives, but it obliterated neighborhoods and changed the entire concept of what the word "family" meant. This, in turn, changed the way our families valued and celebrated holidays.

As our grandparents and other elders began to die, many people were left with a generation (our parents') whose values did not match those of the strong, family-oriented grandparents of our past. They forgot where they came from, on the positive-tip. Their priorities were not of God, our Lord, but of the "gods" of the streets. Those substances became more important than the time it takes to enjoy teaching the next generation the value of family.

As I write this, I wonder if I have done enough to try to re-instill these values in my younger siblings and cousins. As the oldest, I have a voice. A very important voice. It is very important to me that I use it to teach them and help them realize the dreams shared with me by elders passed before their time. I need them to know God. I need them to understand the value of family. I need them to look forward to those family holiday gatherings that ensure that we are a strong union of one. We are a network of leaders. I need to lead them the way my elders lead me. And, teach them to lead the next generation the same way.

With all that said, this will not be a sad holiday for me. I am taking Granny to see her tomorrow, July 4, 2011, her favorite holiday. I will reminisce with her about past 4th of July and try to really get an understanding of what happened to make her stop celebrating it. I need to understand it to learn from it. Because, I do plan to change it.

My hope is that one day, my mom will be home, celebrating the 4th of July with us, her family. We will all be together, swimming by day, fireworks by night. The only difference is that we will be at my home. She will be so proud to see me carrying on a tradition she started so many years ago. That is what a "legacy" is all about.

Happy 4th of July 2011,
The Prisoner's Daughter

Don't forget to check out my blog dedicated to being "The Prisoner's Fiance"!